Searching
by Macross-Green
Summary: Genki finds his own way back to the Monster World. Now that he's back, where is everyone? Please Read & Review! New: Chapter 9, and yes, I'm back!
1. Return... of the Clear Eyes

Search  
  
  
Chapter 1  
Back to the Monster World  
  
By Macrossgrn  
  
  
"Ah man! Why can't I get 'er to learn Fire Breath?" a somewhat whining voice went, as the young man stared at the TV screen. On the screen itself was a Janne, who was going through a Jungle of some sort. She'd just gotten past a part where a Gorilla was trying to find her. She passed that easily. After all, the little journey had been through a territory that made a monster rely on intellect rather than brute strength. "C'mon, Janne... I gotta get that Tech!" the voice went again. The boy playing the game looked to be about 15 years old. Short, dirty brown hair was hidden underneath a baseball cap that was on backwards. Nearby and on his bed, a pair of black, sleek rollerblades rested. His backpack, full of who knows what (actually, there was a flashlight, some papers, and a pair of clean gym clothes inside), lay within easy reach, right against the chair he sat on. His shirt had a red and black logo which had four lines curving upwards, and another four curving downwards. The lines never touched one another, but did move in toward the middle of the shirt, where they stopped short of actually connecting.  
  
With both hands busy playing on the controller, the kid laid back into the chair a little, sighing rather harshly. In this game, the Phoenix was a legendary monster. However, in this game, a Phoenix was very easy to get. Combine one monster and another, along with a certain item and poof! Ready-made Phoenix! "Too bad it wasn't really like that..." he said to himself, closing his eyes.   
  
The moment was vivid in his mind. The power that coursed from him was not that of the Phoenix... but that of the energy of 6 beings- Mocchi, the little pink monster with a huge heart. Golem, the gentle rock-giant. Hare, the calculating, but ultimately friendly giant rabbit. Suezo, the manipulative eyeball... not to mention constantly sore. And Tiger, the stubborn pack-leader. Then there was Genki. Energy in its purest form. Genki's energy was friendship. It came to him from his friends, and his love for monsters. But the energy not only came from him and his friends. It didn't come from just their courage alone. Monsters and humans from all over the Monster World lent him their energy. It had to be done, to save the Monster World. The five monsters he had grown to love as family simply vanished, coalesced into the purest energy that was needed to create the fiery bird known as the Phoenix.  
  
He knew, when he had come back to Earth, there was no way to return. The Phoenix had done its job- It and Moo had canceled each other out. Genki had been blown from the Monster World back to a rainy day upon Earth. There were only two others left from his journey, only two who might have survived the aftermath of the end of Moo's war. These two had been among his closest friends in any world. There was the gentle, yet knife-carrying girl, who had turned 15 during their journey. Holly was her name. He had met her when he first arrived in the Monster World. She with her monster friend Suezo had been running from a group of Black Dinos when they had met. A smile lit upon the face of the boy who remembered this.  
  
The other was a monster who was not quite the same person he had met so long ago. He had met Pixie during his group's attempts to save a bunch of humans from slavery. He had slapped her in an effort to make a point. Wasn't a promise worth anything anymore? The slap wasn't hard... at least, not the one that Genki had given her. The fall down the cliff nearby, however, had hurt much, much more. Pixie, however, felt more from the slap than anyone else probably would have. Before too long, Pixie was on his side. She brought her best, and possibly her only friend for a very long time, Big Blue, with her. Then, an unfortunate event happened. Pixie was dying. To save her, Big Blue sacrificed himself, having himself fused with Pixie to save Pixie's life at his expense. Pixie was fused with Big Blue, turning Pixie into Granity in the end.  
  
Opening his eyes, Genki looked to the TV screen and saved the game. It took a moment to do so as the game file overwrote the existing one, but it was soon done. Turning the game off, he again went over the facts (as he knew it) that there were for getting into the Monster World. The game CD he had received in the mail after winning the Monster Battle tournament seemed to be the key, he thought. The TV was soon turned off as well, and he closed his eyes once more to review what he knew. According to the Phoenix, when it had split into five mystery disks, there were four in the Monster World... and one was sent to Earth. That disk, when he opened the package it was in one fateful day, was put directly into the Playstation. He had watched the opening scenes, and then followed through the menu until it got to the shrine. When another CD was prompted, to give him the first monster that he would create on this game, he quickly switched CDs. As he put the original disc back in, the screen began to swirl, and he had been sucked, head first, along with all sorts of other things (including his original Playstation) into the Monster World.  
  
Mocchi had been the resulting monster from that CD, when he had managed to unlock him. Was Mocchi the key to unlocking the gate from Earth to the Monster World? Could it possibly be something like that? Genki's eyes opened quickly, and he grinned. The Phoenix had been split into five parts before. Though he hadn't been around at the end of the battle to see what became of the Phoenix entirely, could it be possible that there was some way to get back? Surely the barrier between the worlds, which had been burned through before, had been weakened enough to allow him access through once again!  
  
And as the one who managed to fuse, with the help of others, five monsters into one, was there no way to return to that ideal world? "There has to be a way..." he told himself, and then he began packing once again. It was summer now, and he was too young to get a job now. No one in America would hire a 15-year old kid. He'd moved here with his family just two years ago, a year after he showed up back on Earth. He had very few friends here, in this gloomy state. It rained a lot, and he was left with very few outlets to vent his energy. It had grown along with him over the years. And now, with so much extra energy... he was sure he could at least make some progress into getting back to his home away from home. He had been readying himself for an opportunity to get back for the past three years now... "I will go back. Soon!" he told himself, and he grinned. There was very little for him here. Only his family... and that seemed to be breaking apart. He hadn't seen his father for a long time- he was always away on a business trip. His mother was often cooking or cleaning or something... but neither had really been able to bond with him the way that the Monster World had.  
  
Genki blinked as he finally thought of something, though. There might be a small problem with his plan. There were only two beings in that world, he realized, that he could consider close enough to be family. Holly and Pixie. Though both were in the Monster world, they were really his only friends now. He was nice enough, and well liked in school... but hey, those people only liked him for what he could do in sports. His extra energy was put to good use in basketball, and baseball... and wrestling! His fighting techniques that he'd learned in the Monster World had been put to good use in amateur wrestling at his 'Junior High School.' But was it worth it to leave his world and family behind, to live in his dreamland? Even as he asked himself that question, he knew the answer to it- Yes!  
  
"Now... how do I get back?" He asked aloud, sighing a little afterwards as he considered the possibilities. Could he manage to fuse a bridge, as it were, from where he was to the Monster World? Even a one way bridge? Maybe he should start searching on the Internet for a new 200X CD game. No... that one was impossible. The game manufacturers had altered them all, after the first one that he had received. Monster Rancher 2 had been the next game to come out, and developers claimed that the 200X CD had been a mistake, or at least a demo version of MR 2. There were no extra copies of the 200X CD anymore. He had looked everywhere he could. Called anyone he could. The same answer had been told to him- They don't have it, it was never released... something along those lines.  
  
Finally, he nodded to himself. Mind over matter, right? The only real chance he had was to get everything he needed, pack it all together, and give the best shot he could give in order to take the leap from Earth to the Monster World. Taking that in mind, Genki grinned, and emptied out his backpack. On second thought, he noticed, as he saw the broken down thing, he shook his head. "Time for a new one!" he said to himself, and he walked over to the nearby closet. Inside was one of the big camping packs that his family would use when they went tent camping. It already had an ultra-light sleeping bag hooked onto it, and he started putting things into the pack. A change of clothes, some CDs... the flashlight with some extra batteries. Genki raced around the room in a hurry, putting everything he could think that he'd need into the pack. Old clothes that could get him some money if he sold them, a few valuables... including the old wind-up watch that had been left o him by his late grandfather.  
  
10 minutes later, he was almost finished. All he had left was to tie his rollerblades onto the pack, and then he'd take his chance. There! With a final twist of the shoelaces, he was done. Sliding first one strap, and then the other, over his shoulders, he hefted the weight. It wasn't too much... though, it would take some getting used to. With a push of two buttons, the TV, and the Playstation, flickered back to life. More than likely, if he duplicated what he had done three years ago as best he can... it might make it easier to cross over. Standing ever closer to the TV, he touched the screen carefully. Nothing. The screen was still there, and as solid as it should be. He sighed. And then grinned. Then, finally, he began to concentrate. On his friends, both living and gone. On the monsters with whom he had created the Phoenix. On the Phoenix itself. The Phoenix may have been gone... but the residual energy currents remained, even after 3 years. It was connected to him... As far as he could tell, no others had ever been to the Monster World.  
  
Suddenly, something snapped. Instead of looking around, Genki closed his eyes immediately. Concentrating hard on what he wanted... no, needed to do, he could feel some energy begin to build within him. The barriers, he could tell, were still rather strong. The walls between worlds was still rather thick. But, the energy he could sense from what had brought him back remained intact. Using his still building energy, he carefully extended his reach along the tendril of energy, trying to source it back to the Monster World. Other worlds surrounded Earth, this he could tell easily. He had to follow this strand... there! Genki unconscious smiled victoriously. He had found the Monster World! Unknown to him, his form had developed an aura that had surrounded his entire body, along with what he wore. His form itself had begun to flicker, as if he was about to disappear. Feeling more energy within him, Genki released some into a focused line, like a rope of sorts, that he tied around himself. Carefully, building up more and more power, he began to send himself through the newly formed vortex tunnel. He felt as if he was actually traveling to the world now! There was no weight on him, only the wind that rushed past him. 'This is it,' he thought, as he watched the monster world grow large before him. Suddenly, he hit a barrier. Nothing would stop him now.  
  
With a lunging punch, the invisible barrier buckled under his energy-enhanced strength. Mental energy though it was, his physical form was lending him extra power now. Little did he know that he was no longer in possession of a physical form back on Earth. The energy he had expended had taken his Earthly physical body's energy, and now, until he got to where he was going, he was stuck in the mental planes of existence. Several more barriers were smashed as he rushed toward the rapidly approaching world. With a thud, however, he found himself smack against the strongest barrier. This one was very strong... and Genki knew just how to deal with it. Gathering a burst of extra energy, Genki flashed the power toward the barrier before him, and it punched a hole straight through. Verbal communication was unnecessary, as there wasn't really any noise in this plane. With a kick off, however, Genki flashed through the opening, grinning wildly, as he was rushed down through another vortex. He blacked out, just as he was thinking 'I'm here!'  



	2. A Chance Meeting

Chapter Two  
A Chance Meeting  
  
Groaning a little, the brown haired boy slowly stirred. Lying on his back, he rested for a moment- he felt a little weak, the world was dark... and then he opened his eyes. The sky was bright and the sun shone through the light cloud cover that existed to try and block its rays. As soon as he had opened his eyes, a smile came to his face. It was slow in coming, but after only a few seconds, he was laughing to himself. He'd done it! He had managed to get himself back without any help! It had been so long since he last breathed in such fresh air. Genki took a few deep breaths before sitting up, and then standing up. It seemed that everything survived the transfer to this world, he thought, as he looked to the supplies that had somehow left his back and were on the ground now. His backpack, rollerblades, sleeping bag... yep, looks like everything was there. Sighing a little, he leaned down to pick up his belongings, and then to take a look around, to see if there were any familiar surroundings.  
  
It had been several years... but still, Genki gasped in surprise. He was standing in the middle of a rather large clearing. The clearing was near a huge mountain, and in between him and the mountain, was a large shrine or something. It looked a lot like a monument. There were several statues... but Genki was still too far away to be able to see just what they were. This place seemed somehow familiar, he thought, as he began walking toward the large statues. He couldn't place it, but this place was very familiar. "Why can't I remember this place?" he asked himself, and he shrugged, deciding that it was all in his mind. A few moments passed, and Genki found himself much closer to the statues. A wind had picked up- a very, very cold wind, even though it seemed to be the middle of summer. Genki shivered, and then walked around one of the statues as he reached it. Chiseled and worn, it looked like the statues had been here for years. As the wind died down to a slight breeze, Genki took his hat off before walking in front of the statues. As he reached a good spot, he turned around slowly. And then he gasped.  
  
In that spot were 6 statues of monsters. On either side of four of them, were two statues of Golems. One was a flat gray color- that one was on the left. The other was a combination of blue and white colors. In the middle were four other monsters that Genki could recognize. From the left to the right were a statue of a Tiger, looking ready to unleash his torpedo attack. Next was a Suezo, who seemed to be looking up to the sky. The Suezo had a knapsack behind its eyeball, which made it even more likely... The next statue was of a Hare. Its right paw was resting against its chin, even as the left supported the right's elbow. It looked about ready to devise a plan, Genki could tell. Already, his eyes had begun to water, and he looked to the last one. It was smaller than the others. It was done out of a pale rock. It was of Mocchi. Genki sank to his knees, and then his hands hit the dirt as he looked down, his eyes filling with tears. This was a memorial to his friends, he thought.  
  
"That is correct, young one... It has several years since last you have been in this world." A voice from nearby said, and Genki looked up, and over toward the voice. That voice was familiar as well, he thought, even as his eyes lit up at the sight of a familiar face. Well, maybe face was too much to say, as Genki saw his own reflection. The black, obsidian-like wall of brick stood not too far away. It levitated about half a foot above the ground, and it wavered up and down every other moment. "M... Monol?" Genki asked tearfully, hoping that this was his friend from before the end of Moo. Before the Phoenix had been resurrected by five of the six heroic monsters that had a statue in their memory.  
  
"Yes, Genki. I am Monol." The voice emanated from the mirror-like monster, and Genki smiled. Finally, a friend! Someone he could talk to, and find out about what had happened since he had last been here. Suddenly, the monster dipped to the right a bit. A snoring sound was emitted from the now sleeping monster, which caused Genki to shake his head. There was no loud mouth Suezo to wake him this time. No, this time, it was up to Genki to wake up the dozing Monol. "Monol, wake up!" he yelled annoyingly, his voice cracking once or twice from his volume. With a start, the monster woke up again, yawning. "Sorry about that... Anyway, Genki... Welcome back. Let me tell you a story..." he began, at which someone else stepped up near him.  
  
This figure was human in appearance, wearing a cloak over his shoulders. In his right hand was a staff, and in his other, a scroll. The person himself drew the hood back down off his head, revealing reddish brown hair. His eyes were a hazel color, and he looked to Genki warmly. "Now, now, Monol, let's get straight to the point. Sir Genki, I bid you welcome back to this world." The young man's voice rang out, and Genki grinned slightly. "Thanks, but just call me Genki," he replied, to which the young man nodded. The young man couldn't have been much more than 19... maybe 20.  
  
"Genki, then. It has been about 3 years since last you were here. These statues were created to keep the memory of those events fresh in the minds of everyone, human and monster alike. These six monsters played an integral role in the battles against Moo, as well you know. The battle ended in a stalemate." The young man began, but saw the confusion on Genki's face as he said the word stalemate. "Stalemate means a tie, Genki." Monol supplied, to which Genki sighed a little and smiled. "Yes... as I was saying, the Phoenix and Moo were evenly matched. They destroyed each other, rather than to keep struggling until the planet was destroyed." Genki's face paled, and his eyes closed, as the memory of the struggle came to his mind, via the telepathic link with Monol.  
  
A large, white explosion ensued as the two gigantic monsters collided. Both are suddenly gone, leaving the sky awash in energy as Genki is thrown off of Falcon, the powerful Pirate Dragon, and was soon gone from sight as both Holly and Granity yelled his name. The flashback was then gone, and Genki opened his eyes slowly once again. "Afterwards, Holly and Granity searched for you, but never were able to find you. They released many monsters, though, most of whom were monsters that you Searchers had defeated along your quest. Released from their evil ways, many of those monsters had you to thank, and many joined in the search. Alan, Horn, Jagged Hound, and many others searched the world for you, to no avail. After a year or so, Holly decided that you had gone back to your own world. Many of those you had met earlier in your journey traveled here, to Mount Kyrus. Here, it took only a few months to make the shrine to your friends. Because of how much Holly believed you were alive and somewhere else, no statue was made for you. And it looks like she was right." The young man said, chuckling a little at the end of his explanation.  
  
"Where's Holly? And Pixie?" Genki asks excitedly. He had only listened to some of what the man was saying, but now he was paying full attention. How could he find his friends again? That's what he came here for, after all. He stepped toward Monol and the young man slowly, hoping that one of them would have the answer he is looking for. "Genki... No one knows where Holly is. And Granity has not been seen for the past year. She never believed you were completely gone, so she searches for you still." Monol explained, and Genki looked down slowly. His hands clenched into fists as he took several deep breaths. "Then... tell me where you last saw them! I need to find them!" he said slowly and quietly, then looked up to Monol and the other person, a strong look of determination in his eyes. The man smiled a little, and then nodded. "The last time anyone I know of has seen Holly was when she was on the Southern continent...You would do best to go there." He replied, and pointed the way Genki would need to go. Genki simply nodded, and then began taking off his shoes. Once they were off, on went his roller blades. With a snap and click from both 'blades, he stood up carefully once again.  
  
"Thanks! I'll be sure to find them now! Monol, I'll see you later! Thanks for the tip!" he shouted, and with that, he began heading off toward the south. His legs moving fast as he possibly can, Genki zoomed along on the ground, until he came up to a large rock that jutted from the soil. Using his built up speed, Genki locked his legs into position as he went up the rock-face quickly, and almost as quickly, was catapulted into the air, his right arm raised into the air as a "Yeah!" floated back to the two beings who stood near the statues still. As Genki fell back to earth, Monol turned to the young man beside him.  
  
"You could have made it easier for him, you know..." the black mirror said, to which the young man chuckled softly before replying. "Very true, Monol. However, he needs time to orient on this world again." He ran a hand through his red hair slowly as the wind picked up once again, and then with both hands, he drew the hood over his head once more. Monol turned away to gaze out in the direction that Genki had skated off in, even as the wind grew a little more fierce, the human spoke again. "Besides, Genki has broken the bonds of balance by returning. Sometime, perhaps not now, or for a long time... But sometime, somehow, nature will regain its balance, as it always does. This world must be ready for when that happens."  
  
By the time Monol turned to face the human again, he was gone.  
  



	3. The Game Begins... Again

Chapter 3  
The Game Begins Again  
  
By the time Monol turned to face the human again, he was gone. "Still... you should have told him that Holly thinks he is dead... and not gone." Monol said quietly. His words were lost to the winds of change that had begun to engulf the world. Monol himself went toward the Jill village, to tell his stories once more to those who were calm enough and interested enough to listen to him.  
  
****  
  
The next day, Genki was speeding on his way toward the south. His hyper-charged mindset on finding the last of his best friends, the miles had flown by. Groups of monsters stopped in the middle of what they were doing in order to watch this fast moving human. Those monsters were easily outdistanced and again, and Genki was quickly out of sight. His legs moved as if they were possessed, in long, fast strides that would take him as far as he can as fast as he can. Soon though, even his own energy began to wane, and he began to sweat. After an hour or so, he slowed down, and after another hour, he rested. It had been easier to run and travel when friends were with you, he thought, as he sat down on a large, flat rock. Without anyone to talk to or compete with, the time passed much, much slower than he remembered. Taking out a water bottle from his backpack, he took a drink from it and wiped his mouth. Screwing the cap back into place, he slipped it back into the pack and looked around. This area didn't seem to bring back any memories...  
  
A flash overtook his eyes and he closed them, letting an old memory resurface. It wasn't one memory, but a collection of them. Giant, gentle Baku, who had been a friend of a boy who had looked much like Genki, who had defended them against the monster known as Chariot. The wise old Kato, under whose tutelage he and Mocchi managed to defeat the Tainted Cat Brothers, was next. Then there were several different adventures he'd had, flashing before him so fast that he couldn't completely recognize them. Opening his eyes, Genki sighed a little and smiled. He and his friends had many adventures in this world... That was one of the things he liked most about this place. The adventures, the excitement, new friends... "That's why I came back..." he told himself. Hopping off of the rock, Genki looked to the sky and smiled widely. Not a cloud in sight, and the sun was shining brightly. Forests to the sides, and open fields ahead. Not a single Baddie to worry about, and with the hope of finding his friends burning into his mind, he set off again. The tall grass whipped around and in front of him as he 'bladed his way through the tall stalks like a scythe through wheat. Genki couldn't help but to chuckle softly as he went along at a good speed, his body coursing along, almost as if he was skiing.  
  
His mind wandered over the curves of the plains before him, and he smiled a little bit. No wonder he had begun to remember past events! These were the plains in which the Tainted Cat Brothers had attacked the group, and nearly defeated them all. If it hadn't been for old Kato and his wisdom, none of them would likely have gotten much further. Smiling now, Genki remembered how he and Mocchi had managed to turn the tables on them, by wearing protective, wooden armor plates on their bodies. The Tainted Cat Brothers, lunging in for the final blow, found their claws stuck within the wooden panels as they counter attacked. Soon after, the Brothers turned on one another, and it was Kato who finally put an end to the fighting. "Peace at last..." he said to himself, and he smiled again. It had a nice sound to it.  
  
Looking ahead to the forest that he was rapidly approaching, Genki smiled a bit. He didn't have to take any detours, this time. That was pretty much the only good thing about traveling alone, it seemed. Though it was definitely lonely, he had plenty of time to concentrate on where he was going. Moving along at full speed, his arms and legs moved a bit quicker now, as he was eager to reach the forest and the relative safety of the trees, as compared to open ground.  
  
****  
  
Nearby, in the forest ahead of the young human, were several pairs of eyes. Their eyes glowed with a bit of red in the foliage as all the beings watched this lone boy. He would be an easy picking, the leader thought to itself. Though he doubted that the boy would have any valuables, his band could use anything they could get their hands on. Clothes, weapons, information... mystery disks. Mystery Disks were the best source of money. If they could get their hands on even one, the group would be fed well for at least a month. Silently, he flashed his hand forward, giving the others the signal to spread out. As soon as the boy entered the forest, the trap would be set. By the time the boy had gotten into the forest a little, the trap would be sprung. He only hoped that he had accurately gauged the boy's speed... somehow, the human boy was moving very, very fast.  
  
****  
  
Genki had spotted the forest, and slowed down a bit. He smiled a little, remembering an old friend he had met there. Maybe they would meet again? Would the Baku even remember him? There was only one sure way to find out, he reasoned... and he grinned, spotting the path to the destroyed village. It had been overgrown in the past years, but he still recognized it. Moving now at full speed, coming down the hill carefully, he jumped over the bush that had begun to grow over the path. Landing in a crouch, Genki continued to skate on his way towards the village. The Phoenix had resurrected all monsters from their Lost Disks... and there had been many in that battlefield. Among them were two of importance to him- Baku, and Chariot. They defeated each other, but Baku survived long enough to drag itself back to the home of his one-time family. There, the Baku was lost to the world, until the coming of the Phoenix.  
  
The Chariot had been one of Durahan's henchmen. A Centaur with the sub-breed of a Durahan, he had been responsible for the destruction of that same very village, long ago. Strong, agile, but not all that bright it seemed, the Chariot did its master's bidding as well as any could. Chariot had been given command of a troop of Evil Hares, and he did well as a commander. However, nothing could have surprised him more than the fact that it was not the Searchers who had defeated many of his troop, but the Baku whom he had shoved aside when he destroyed the village. The battle had been short and brutal, and the outcome was in Baku's favor... for but a few moments.  
  
Genki skated along, fully expecting something to find himself in the midst of a bustling village once more. Partially, if not completely restored. There was also the hope of finding Baku again, too. Perhaps there would be humans there, too- or at least, information on the whereabouts of Holly or even Pixie. At the very least, he was hoping for a little bit of shelter and food... Genki blinked a bit as he felt his stomach rumble. "Yeah, time for lunch," he told himself, and he smiled a bit as he continued on his way.  
  
****  
  
The beings that were to participate in the trap were now waiting impatiently. For some reason, however, the boy had not showed up where they expected. None of them knew this area well at all, but they did know that it was considered hallowed ground. There had been stories about how there had been, at one time, a village in the area. However, when these bandits had arrived, there was no village to be seen. They hadn't searched the entire forest, true, but they had looked through much of it. The bridge that linked this forest with the southern plains provided the only touch of civilization that this area had.  
  
The leader shook his head slowly. He had lost track of the boy as he had escaped along another route into the forest. How had he known of the ambush? Or was it blind luck? The bandit cursed his own luck, and then began walking toward the others of his team, to the positions that they had chosen for this ambush a only a day ago. Only, when he found the nearest position, there was no one there. The leader's eyes widened a little bit in fear, and then crouched down quickly, carefully looking around the area. A sudden voice rang out, and then he fell to the ground with a loud thud, as sparks of electric power played along his form, effectively paralyzing him. His eyes closed before he could see who it had been who struck him, as he heard the movements of that same being who now stood over him. Then, he also heard nothing.  
  
****  
  
Genki soon arrived at the clearing, where the village had been. Shaking his head a little bit as he gazed upon the scene before him, he falls to his knees slowly. And then he smiled. All around, there was the busy scene of monsters and humans working together. Many were building new homes. Some could be seen chopping down wood for use as lumber and firewood. There were even small gardens that were tended to by children and younger monsters. In the air were a few Beaclons, who were giving some of the children a ride on their backs. There was no sign of a Baku around, however, and though that saddened him, he had no time to think about it, as several Datons and Purple Hares barred his way from out of nowhere. The Datons growled at Genki, even as the Purple Hares put up their paws, held in fists, as if to goad the young man into a fight. Genki simply stepped back a little bit and smiled gently, trying to disarm the monsters so that he wouldn't be considered an enemy. "H...hey, hold on... I'm looking for Baku... is he here?" he asks carefully, and at that, the monsters before him actually relaxed a bit.  
  
"You know Baku?" one of the Datons ask him, sizing the human boy up carefully. The others simply remained around him in a loose circle now. Genki nodded and smiled softly at that. "Yes... he saved us Searchers from Chariot, about... 3 years ago." He replied, to which the Purple Hares shook their heads. The Datons did the same thing. "3 years ago, he was turned into a lost disk..." one of the Purple Hares said now, holding his head in the palm of his hand. Its pose reminded him of his old friend's thinking pose, way back when. "That's right... he was turned into a Lost Disk, protecting me from that Chariot. I wanted to save him, but he was too far gone." Genki replied, his eyes beginning to tear up now as the memory resurfaced. The Baku had licked his hand... and then, was gone, until the Phoenix had been reborn.  
  
The Daton who had spoken earlier then regarded Genki's eyes, and then he gasped. "The child... with clear eyes!" he said slowly, at which the other Datons and Purple Hares simply stared at the boy. A hush went over the crowds that had gathered, mostly of humans and hares, but with some Tigers and Golems, as well as a Pixie or two. Genki quickly wiped the tears from his eyes before smiling softly. "My name is Genki, and I am looking for information on one of my old friends. Would anyone here know a girl named Holly?" he asks carefully, which causes the villagers to look at him, wide-eyed. Who hadn't heard of the boy who brought the Phoenix to life? It had been but 3 years, but the stories had already become legends. A boy with clear eyes, by the name of Genki, had resurrected the Phoenix with the help of some of his friends. The boy was soon lost, after the Phoenix and the giant monster known as Moo had dissipated into thin air, creating the resurrection mist that had enveloped the planet, causing Lost Disks to turn back into monsters. The bad monsters had once again become good monsters, or at least, normal monsters, without the intense hatred of humans.  
  
The stories had become fragmented, it was true... but the moral rang through them all. One human being, of only 12 years of age, had been the focal point of the War against Moo. With his courage and power, and with the help of those who had fought against Moo at one time or another, he had brought the Phoenix to life. He had disappeared from the world soon after, however, and left but two people who had become legends in their own rights. There was Pixie, who had been fused into a Granity when she was mortally wounded in the first real attack against Moo's original body. She had once been a bad monster, and was brought back to the light by the boy with clear eyes. She survived the final battle, trying to catch the young boy as he fell from a Dragon's back, but he had disappeared before she could even try to catch him. Then, there was Holly. A 15 year old girl who had journeyed with Genki, and against all odds, managed to survive the final battle as well, on the back of another Dragon. Rumor had it that the two were related, or, as even nastier rumors had it, they were lovers.  
  
The villagers continued to stare in surprise at the young man, at which point a young child spoke up. "He looks like that boy in the picture in Baku's house." At that, Genki nodded slowly, and smiled again. "That's right... Baku protected me to the end, because I reminded him of his childhood friend."  
  
The child, a young girl, smiled and grinned. Genki blinked in surprise as he looked to the girl, however, as he noticed that she had two small wings escaping from her back. She wore a simple tunic and breeches, which had to have had a hole within them in order to let her small tail out. She even had long, reddish-colored ears that extended from the sides of her head. The little girl was known as a Lepus... or a Mopsy. "I'll take you to Baku's house, Genki." She offered, and she flew forward to him with a smile, landing in front of him, between the Datons and Purple Hares, and extended a hand to him politely. Genki smiled and took her hand, following her as the young Lepus walked toward the old house that he would soon find to be Baku's house.  
  
****  
  
A dark skinned hand moved away from the now rather cold body of a human. There were two lost disks and 2 more humans in the small clearing. Each human was lying on the ground, face down against the dirt. They would recover in a day or two, the being thought, even as its wings stretched out languidly. It had been rather satisfying, ambushing the would-be ambushers, and then dealing with them in a way only the being knew how. Stretching out slowly, the being then flapped its dark wings, and it flew quickly past the treetops. It had felt a strong source of power nearby, it thought, even as it had finished with that last human. Becoming curious, it flew out toward the village it had seen not too long ago, hidden within the forest and near a cliff. What would it find there, it wondered to itself. A somewhat evil smirk slid onto its lips, and then it laughed. Oh, what fun this would be!  
  



	4. Old Battle Renewed

Chapter 4  
Old Battle Renewed  
  
  
Two beings sat on the floor of the old house. Nearby and against the wall, there was a picture of a family that neither had ever known. One was the little Lepus, and the other was Genki. Both, however, were eating some bread and fruit, which had been brought over by one of the Purple Hares. The hare was apparently the leader of the group, as he apologized for their actions against Genki as soon as they had noticed him. "Oh, don't worry about it. It's understandable." Genki had replied, and the two shook hands. A moment later, the Purple Hare had left, leaving Lepus and Genki alone with a basket full of food. Less than ten seconds later, Genki and the Lepus nodded to each other, grinned, and then started eating.  
  
Now, however, both were still eating, but much more slowly now. Genki had begun packing some of the food away into his pack carefully. The Lepus had curled into a ball and was asleep now. As Genki glanced over to the young pixie sub-breed, he had to smile. She reminded him of Mocchi back when he had unlocked him. It seemed that she wasn't much more than maybe 6 months old or so... not much more, given her size. Genki then looked up to the family portrait on the wall nearby, and he sighed gently. That kid sure did look like him, he thought once more, and he lay back onto the floor of Baku's house. Which was a definite good thing, for a moment later, he was laughing as a large red tongue slid out from the muzzle of the Baku that was now pinning him to the ground. "Hey, Baku, cut it out!" he cried, still laughing wildly as the Baku's tongue tickled him.  
  
A giggle was heard nearby and both Genki and Baku turned to see Lepus awake, sitting up, and laughing. Genki just grinned, and got out from underneath Baku. "Good to see you too, boy." He says to Baku, looking up to the large canine before giving it a hug. "Did ya miss me?" he asked, patting the Baku's snout carefully. In response, the Baku just gave Genki one solid slurp, and Genki laughed again. "I'd say that's a yes, Genki." Lepus said, coming to her feet before jumping up, and with a flap of her wings, settling down onto the Baku's back. Genki chuckled a little bit as he nodded in agreement up to her. "Well, let's go for a walk." The young boy suggested, and Lepus nodded as all three began walking out of the house and into the forest.  
  
****  
  
That strong energy... it was much closer now, she thought, as the wind rushed by her. Thanks to the her power of draining life force, she could sense the stronger sources rather easily, even if she was a few miles away. And this one seemed strong enough to provide her enough energy for a month! Strangely, there were three others, almost as powerful life forces near the first. The weakest, though, made her smile, as her wings flapped in the air to keep her aloft. It was a child. In fact, it was a Pixie child, given the energy she could feel emanating from the monster. With a lick of her lips to moisten them, she grinned slowly as she came up with an idea. Oh, this would be fun!  
  
****  
  
Genki stepped out from behind a tree after a moment, and he walked on up to the two monsters that had been waiting for him. With a smile, they began walking along the path again, heading toward the bridge that led to the southern lands. Lepus jumped up from Baku's back now, and flew down toward Genki. Looking back, Genki got the hint and broke off into a run as he laughed, almost daring Lepus to catch up with him. With a giggle, and several flaps of her wings, Lepus flew even faster toward him, her arms outstretched to try and catch him. Baku stepped up his pace as well, bounding after them both with large thuds along the ground. Suddenly, Genki stopped, and in so doing, caused Lepus to crash into him from behind. Baku stepped up to the two that had fallen to the ground, and looked to them, before looking ahead to the bridge and growling.  
  
"Ow... You okay, Lepus?" Genki asks, looking back to the young pixie/hare hybrid. She responded with a weak nod and then she smiled softly in return, and then she looked fearfully ahead of them to the bridge. Genki turned to look toward the bridge, and he sighed a bit as he recognized the type of monsters waiting ahead of them. Suddenly, another monster landed ahead of them, and put its hands on its purple-skinned hips.  
  
****  
  
She could see its targets now, and the purple-skinned Pixie smiled. The strong energy was coming from the teenage boy, she could see. The child-pixie was actually the Lepus who had crashed into the boy's back. Then there was that Baku there. She smirked to herself as she came in for a landing in front of the monsters that stood behind her. Spreading her wings a bit, she stretched carefully, enjoying the tense moment that she had created for the three beings before her. Her skin, wings, and clothes were a dark purple. The wings then folded behind her back as she glanced sharply to the two monsters and the human boy ahead of her. Smiling slowly, she saw the boy gasp and heard the Baku growl as they saw the other adornment upon her. It was a dark tan and brown insignia... and it had held a very special significance, only 3 years ago. It was the crest of Moo.  
  
With a turn of her head, Allure looked to the monsters behind her. One was so large, he nearly blocked out the sky with his bulk. Armored and stronger than any boulder, this Golem sub-breed had been with her for about 5 years now. He was her best friend and confidant, and she knew that she could trust him with any task. The Battle Rocks had never failed a task that needed to be done. In the center of his chest was also a crest of Moo. On the Battle Rock's shoulder perched a young pixie. Her name was Mia, and Allure resented her because of the young girl's charm. Anyone that their band had met were almost instantly on Mia's side, for some reason. The Battle Rocks had developed a bond with her as well, and it seemed almost as if the two were family.  
  
The other two monsters made her grin before looking back to the human and his friends. These two also had the crests of Moo upon them. One was a Cabalos. That monster had, at one time, been one of Gray Wolf's pack members, and was one of the few to have survived the razing given by Naga's troops, so long ago. The other was a Clay, who wore the old 'Captain' helmet of the Jell troops. He had survived by fleeing the battle scene after the humans and Genki's team had defeated Pixie and Big Blue. All of these monsters had eventually found their way to Allure, except for Mia, whom she had unlocked less than a year ago.  
  
Finally, the Allure spoke to the stunned audience before her. "I want the one with the strong life force. Boy, give yourself up to me, and I will let your friends go free." She said simply, smiling as she awaited the boy's answer. She was unaware of the gasp of recognition that was inhaled as the Clay and the Cabalos both recognized the boy, and they backed up a little bit. The Battle Rocks and Mia looked resigned as they watched the three beings that their leader had chosen for their targets.  
  
****  
  
"Hmm..." Genki thought to himself now, as he looked to the group of five beings. Smiling a little as he picked himself up slowly after Lepus stood up, he ran over the options. The Pixies and Cabalos were too fast for them to get away... Lepus was not strong or fast enough to escape when flying or on foot. Baku was fast, but he was too big. And without his source of power for his powerful energy blasts, Genki couldn't be sure to knock out any of these Baddies. Then, with a grin, he noticed the two monsters who had backed away a little bit. He, however, was not afraid of either of them. Without more troops to back them up, the Cabalos and the Clay were not well trained or especially powerful. "Well, well... what is this? Some Baddies who managed to survived the end of the war? And two of ya seem to know me..." his eyes flashed dangerously for a moment as he chuckled softly.  
  
Baku and Lepus looked to Genki, wondering if he had just gone mad. If there was to be a fight, it would likely by two against 5, as Lepus would not be able to stand up against even the Clay in a fight. Then they saw Genki's aura surge. A golden glow surrounded him softly, and then grew brighter as Genki looked to the monsters before him. Allure seemed unfazed, but the two ex-members of the Moo armies had begun to shrink away. Mia and the Battle Rocks stood their ground, though, going so far as to even move to stand next to the purple-skinned Allure.  
  
Genki was surprised at the energy he had begun to bring to himself. Three years ago, he could only gain this much power by drawing it from his friends as well. This time, he was doing it all by himself. Then, he remembered the classes he had taken to try and calm himself down three years ago. Meditation classes, as well as karate classes, had been instrumental in toning down his extreme amounts of energy. It had been the only way to help him keep in class- otherwise it would be so boring that he couldn't stay sitting at the desk all day. Grinning now, he looked to the Allure dead-on. "Leave us be... or else, you will not survive this attack!" he explained to her seriously.   
  
****  
  
The Allure's face flickered with indecision for a moment before she smiled once again. "Boy, you do not possess enough power to defeat me... You can definitely sustain me, though," was her reply, and at that, she swept up and into the air. As she reached 50ft in altitude, she changed her direction and dove down at the human boy. Mia did the same, going after the young Lepus, even as the Battle Rocks, Clay, and Cabalos lunged forward toward the Baku. Grinning to herself, Allure thought that the boy's power surge was simply a show- surely, no human could use that much power effectively! All she had to do was tackle the boy and lay her hands on his bare skin. Then... she grinned even more now, as she darted in to the boy. Then, his life force would be hers!  
  
Mia dove in at Lepus, and she had several thoughts going through her head. Did she really have to hurt this one? Lepus reminded her of herself when she was her age, not so long ago. Still, she gathered energy into her arms, and prepared to loose the power as she dove in at her. Why did Allure always make her do the bad things? She didn't want to be bad... but, under threat of pain and punishment, she had no choice but to go along. She glanced to Battle Rocks and smiled as she saw him nearing the Baku. Hoping that he wouldn't be hurt, Mia finally spoke. "Torpedo!" and with that, she sent a ray of energy surging straight towards the young Pixie.  
  
Battle Rocks, though slow, soon met the Baku. Cabalos and Clay were flanking him, Clay on the right, Cabalos on the left, and then they spread out to attack the large canine monster. Quickly, the Clay lashed out with a whip attack against the Baku, causing the monster to flinch a little bit in pain at the strike. Cabalos charged forward, only to meet with empty air as the Battle Rocks stepped back in surprise, before being knocked down by the Baku's own charge. With a near earthquake-inducing thud, the Golem sub-breed soon found itself on its back, with the Baku on top of him. It bounded off quickly though, knowing that its attack hadn't dealt any major damage to the Battle Rocks. Baku glanced over to Genki, where he saw his old friend holding the energy he had gathered as the purple-pixie was about to reach him.  
  
****  
  
"I warned you..." Genki muttered, and then dropped some of the energy. The rest of it, however, was sent in an arc from his body toward the diving Allure. With a simple twist and tilt of her weight, she fell away from the attack, and then set herself back up as Genki's energy attack dissipated in midair. Genki then turned to see how Lepus was doing, and he paled as he saw the light flash from the diving Mia toward his new friend. "Lepus! Watch out!" he cried, and then he ran and jumped toward her, tackling her out of the way of the blast. A sonic screech could be heard, and both Genki and Lepus turned to look to Baku, whose mouth was open and emitting a kind of sonic beam attack against the Cabalos.  
  
"You okay, Lepus?" he asked quickly, looking toward the Mia and the Allure now, who were both hovering in the air above and ahead of them. He knew that they couldn't win against these odds... "I'm okay, Genki. Thank you." She said softly, smiling to her savior before looking up to the young Mia overhead. Her facial expressions changed, and she flew up slightly before grinning a bit. Suddenly, she gained an aura around her as she raised her hands up to the sky. Energy poured into her hands from not only around her but seemingly from the sky itself as well. "Mega Ray!" she yelled, and arcs of powerful light expanded from her hands as she pointed her hands toward the Mia. The rays raced across the sky, and would have hit Mia if it weren't for the Battle Rocks who jumped into the blast. Its eyes went wide as it crashed into the ground again, this time causing a small earthquake as it landed. The Mia, her eyes wide, immediately dropped down to check on the Battle Rocks.  
  
Genki grinned a bit, and then his eyes went wide as he felt a pair of hands on his cheeks. Suddenly, he began to feel the energy leaving him, bit by bit. The card was right, he thought, as he felt his power leaving him. Allures do suck the life force from men. His eyes began to get heavy, and he felt himself getting weaker. Summoning what energy he could, he began to glow a soft golden color again, and he turned slowly to face the stunned Allure. He could see the surprise in her eyes, even as she kept her hands on his face. Genki gave a weak grin in response, and then managed to shake his head. Summoning more energy, his aura grew brighter and more powerful, causing the Allure to exert her own energy to keep her hands on his face.  
  
"Bounder attack!" he yelled, the aura flaring up around him now. This time, Allure's hands were thrown from his face and Genki rammed his head into her chest, a move reminiscent of the Double Bounder attack that he and Mocchi had, three years ago, performed against many monsters to serious effectiveness. Stepping back, he was gratified to see the Allure stagger back from the attack, and then she glared at him, before taking to the air. Genki's aura vanished, and he staggered to his knees as he gasped for some air.  
  
Suddenly, the sound of many footsteps could be heard. They came from the northwest, Genki thought, as he looked in the direction of the village. Sure enough, the village's defenders, the Datons and the Purple Hares, had arrived. Spreading out carefully, they quickly managed to put themselves in key positions around the combatants. But, it was about to become too late.  
  
****  
  
Allure spread her wings as she took the air and smiled. She had never had to work this hard for a meal before, and she was enjoying this. That is, until, she was given a headbutt by that brat. Her eyes flashed a deep red as she developed a dark purple-red aura about her, energy sparking around her as she gazed to the boy before speaking. "You win for now, boy... but, we will be back!" She said harshly, and then exclaimed, "Big Bang!"  
  
The large ball of energy was gathered in her palms quickly, and then was shot out toward Genki. He watched the ball of energy as it sailed towards him. He knew there was no escaping this attack- he had been up close to it when Pixie had first performed the attack. He threw an arm across his face just as he expected it to connect with him. He was completely disappointed, as a howl alerted him to the nearby presence of Baku. That sonic beam attack was employed once more against the Big Bang energy, but Baku's attack was losing the battle. Baku stood before Genki, even as it battled against the power of the massive attack. Then, smoke and dust filled the area, and all was darkened for the next few moments.  
  
When the dust settled and the air cleared, Genki stopped coughing and opened his eyes. The Baddies were nowhere to be seen, and the area around Genki was turned from a forest to a near-wasteland. Trees and plants had been uprooted and tossed about. But, there was one plant left, Genki saw, as he looked from the bottom of the stalk and worked his gaze upwards. And there, at the top, he gasped at the sight. "Baku!" he exclaimed softly, tears working into his eyes. His friend was a lost disk once more. Crying softly, he fell to his knees, and looked to the ground as his eyes closed, trying to stop the tears. He just was not able to stop, and so he sobbed for a while. Lepus had joined him, putting an arm around Genki's shoulders, and she cried as well. The Datons and Purple Hares stared in disbelief at the sight of their most powerful warrior gone, and being grieved for by a newcomer and the young monster near the lost disk.  
  
****  
  
"What? Why didn't you tell me this before, Cabalos?" the shrieking voice came, harsh and annoyed. She couldn't believe what she had just heard from this Tiger sub-breed. Mia was taking care of the wounds that Battle Rocks had taken from that little Lepus' very powerful attack, and she looked over to where Allure was 'conversing' with Cabalos. "There was no time, Mistress Allure. Captain Clay and I have seen that boy before... he is the boy with clear eyes! Genki!" the Cabalos exclaimed, at which point Captain Clay nodded in agreement, remembering the boy from several years ago. Allure simply shook her head. She had tasted the life force from the child with clear eyes! The one who had been instrumental in the battle against Moo, no less. This boy... he must be mine, she thought, and she flew away, laughing wildly as she savored the wind above their temporary camp. He must be mine!  
  



	5. Memories

Chapter 5  
Memories  
  
The sound of chisels, hammers, and metal striking against rock was most prevalent in the air. When I looked up, I could see all manners of monsters and a few humans working on several large boulders. There was a young brown-haired human standing off to the side, clutching a rather ornate dagger. Next to her, and directing the monsters in charge of shaping one of the boulders, was a Pixie type monster. However, she had stone gray wings, and armor all around her, marking her as a Granity- a Pixie/Golem type monster.  
  
Stretching slowly, I realized, as I could almost feel my wings spread and my arms stretch back over and behind my head, I watched them, even before looking to the two whom I had known my whole life. A smile lit up my face as I looked at them both. Wait, I couldn't see them very well... one seemed to look like a human, while the other looked like some sort of Hare, I thought. Suddenly, my eyes closed, and I couldn't see anymore.  
  
****  
  
Lepus awoke in the morning with a start, sitting up and gasping softly. The sudden intake of breath startled Genki, who had begun to doze off himself. He'd been standing guard almost all night, and was starting to get quite tired. The last few days had been kinda hectic... not to mention nerve-racking. Baku was gone. Fried by that Allure's Big Bang attack, her power proved too much for Baku's ability to absorb it. If it had been a physical attack, Baku could probably have absorbed it and then completely annihilated her in return. Instead, Big Bang was a mental attack. Baku, though it wasn't completely dumb or stupid, wasn't really the brightest monster ever created by the Pendant scientists in ancient times. And without the ability to use its mind to absorb or at least deflect the attack somewhat, Baku had been, for the most part, helpless against the might of the energy sphere that had engulfed it, and then turned it into a Mystery Disk.  
  
"Baku..." Genki said softly, and he sighed softly. He had cried during his night watch, often, but quietly so as not to wake up Lepus. She was young, even compared to him, and she needed her rest. He had no more tears left to shed, he thought, as he stood up slowly and stretched. There had been no fire to keep them warm that night- it had been warm enough without one.  
  
As he had stretched, he heard Lepus gasp a bit, and he looked back to her with the brightest smile he could manage. "Good morning, Lepus. Hungry?" he asked politely, yet somewhat rapidly, which helped to mask the pain he was feeling right now. Losing a friend always hurt, and if that ever changed... It would never change, Genki told himself. "No thank you, Genki... I'm not hungry right now." Lepus spoke softly, even as she began rolling up the blanket that she had brought with her. They had been gone from the village for over 3 days now, and the pain of losing Baku still hurt her badly. She'd never seen a monster turn into a Mystery Disk before. She had heard of that happening many times, though, but had never seen it.  
  
"Alright... I guess we're both kind of bummed out about Baku." Genki said quietly, and he sighed, walking over to where he had set his hiking pack against a tree. Strangely, he hadn't been very hungry in the past few days either. But to keep up appearances, he ate once in a while, if only to entice Lepus to eat as well. She seemed to be rather distant of late, though... Ever since she had hit that strange looking Golem with her Mega Ray attack. He had wondered if she was feeling well or not, but never brought it up. With age came tact, it seemed, as he knew that in the past, he would come right on out and ask what was bothering her.  
  
"Well, we should get going then I think. We have a long ways to go..." Genki exclaimed, and smiled to Lepus, who had packed her blankets into a small pack that she carried and was walking toward him slowly, smiling softly. She may seem fine... but, her eyes are distant, Genki thought to himself as he watched her, and he shrugged a bit. The shrug was masked as a shift of the weight that was placed on his shoulders as a direct result of the hiking pack he wore. Lepus nodded, and then took to the air as Genki strapped his rollerblades on tight to his feet, and scooted off after her.  
  
****  
  
Sunlight spilled over a large hill finally as a lone figure with a cane could be seen coming out from a tent. The human figure stretched slowly as he woke up, and his head tilted toward the sky. However, this human saw not the sky, but a void of black. A sound of cloth in the air met his ears, and the human turned to face the newcomer behind him with a smile. "Gara, so you are awake now. Did you sleep well?" the human asked politely, listening for the monster's approach. He was not disappointed, as the Gara draped over him like the cloak that it was. "I slept well, Gary... But, we have much to do today. Let us get breakfast before we begin, okay?" the somewhat deep voice spoke up, even as the face of the monster looked around the clearing. Several other tents, of varying sizes, were also occupying the same clearing behind the hill. All of them held sleeping monsters within them. The Gali-like monster would have smiled... if its face would allow it to, that is.  
  
"Yes... breakfast before business," the human agreed, and he smiled a little, following his nose toward the tent he had walked from, picking up the scent of fruit and bread. The sound of wings and a steady thud along the ground signaled the approach of some newcomers, and when an alarm was not raised, Gary continued on his way. "I will be with you in a moment, Gary." Gara said, even as it floated away from the human and toward the beings that had arrived in the camp. Gara floated effortlessly over to the several beings that were now resting in the middle of the clearing. The apparent leader of the group smirked at the Gali-like monster, and then nodded to him in respect. "Gara, we have some information I think you will find most interesting..." the voice said, full of cunning and energy. Gara simply floated closer to the Allure, anxious to hear what this Pixie/Naga had to say. "Then report, Allure" Gara commanded, and listened intently to what she had to say.  
  
The rag-tag troops in her command rested as the report was being given. Battle Rocks, still a little hurt by the massive psychic attack that the little Lepus had leveled against it a few days ago, lay on its back, with little Mia perched on his chest while relaxing. Cabalos and 'Captain' Clay lay on the grass, getting some sleep finally. Allure had pushed them all for the past 2 days so that they could make this report to their superiors. Finally though, they would be allowed to rest.  
  
"Alright, Allure... You and your team may relax. I have just the team to deal with those two." Gara replies, dismissing the Pixie/Naga as it turns around and heads back to the tent. On the way, a single purebred tiger steps up to Gara, and receives its orders from the Gali. With a simple nod, the Tiger about-faced and ran off in the direction of one of their army's outposts which was not too far from here. From the information given to Gara by Allure, he knew that the two pests would likely make their way to a certain lake, so that they could replenish their water supply. At that same lake were three monsters that would be sure to stop them in their tracks. Still... the Gara considered the possibility of their survival. The fact that the boy with clear eyes was one of the two spoke well for the pair, and that little Pixie's powerful attack might prove overwhelming for the three monsters at the lake. Keeping its thoughts to itself as always, it floated back to the tent to eat and strategize.  
  
****  
  
"Thanks a lot! It was good doing business with you! Good luck on your journey!" Genki exclaimed, waving to the travelers whom they had met a while ago. In Genki's hand was a small bag of gold coins, and in his hiking pack, less items. Genki and Lepus met some traveling merchants, and Genki managed to convince them to buy his old clothing and a few other items. In return, they receive a map of the area, which extended from just south of Mt. Kyrus all the way to the ocean to the south. Genki unraveled the map now, holding it up in both hands before looking at it. He could tell that it was similar to the map that Horn had given the Searchers three years ago, if a little less complete. Not everyone had access to an ocean-going vessel in these days, and without one of those or an Iron Bird, maps tended to be somewhat incomplete.  
  
Still, Genki grinned as he noticed a small lake that was not too far from their position right now. He remembered the time that he'd had there three years ago but that memory wasn't really the best of them. He had nearly drowned then, and was only saved by one of his friends as they battled with a powerful monster, one of Moo's minions. Still, it didn't help when... Genki shook his head a little, and then rolled the map up into a scroll again before slipping it back into his hiking pack easily. Looking up to where Lepus was hovering above him and to his right, he grinned a bit, and wiped his nose a little before saying anything. "Come on, Lepus. I know a great place to rest for a while. Follow me!"  
  
Lepus watched Genki as he leapt out ahead on his rolling shoes (rollerblades, he insisted, but rolling shoes were what they looked like to her) and she smiled slowly. Grinning to herself, she sped after him, knowing that this was going to turn into a race between them. Who would be faster? A flying Pixie or a ground-bound human with rolling shoes? With a laugh, Lepus flapped her feathery wings several times, determined to pass up Genki, who was still moving quickly over a field, toward a forested area. Genki heard her laugh, and he laughed as well, breathing steadily as he pumped his legs along the ground quicker now as they raced. Laughter filled the air as both beings continued on their way to a certain lake.  
  
****  
  
A Tiger sped away quickly from the three figures who stood at the edge of a body of water. Two of them were Hares- the first was pink and white, while the other was black and dark gray in color. Both, however, had blue eyes, instead of the beady black that most Hares had. The one on the left was a Fairy Hare. The one on the right was an Evil Hare, and thanks to its coloring, it certainly looked the part. The one in the middle was no Hare, however. Far from it. The being in the middle rose as if a part of the lake itself. Lightly blue skinned, dark blue, almost purple hair reached down to the middle of its back. She was known as an Undine. As such, she was the 'commander' for this small region near the lake. Turning to the two hares, she smiled a bit. "Well now... it seems that we are to have company. Is everything ready for an ambush, Fae?" the Undine asked in her sweet voice.  
  
"Yes, everything and everyone are in place for the ambush, Master Undine," the Fairy Hare replied. She hopped once, to get the tenseness in her legs out. The Evil Hare who stood nearby simply grinned a bit. "This should be fun!" he exclaimed, which made the Fairy Hare look over at him sternly. "Are you kidding? We just have to capture these guys, so don't get carried away. It's easier to destroy instead of capture, and even you should know that, Evan." Fae sighed softly after saying that and shook her head, even as Evan relaxed a bit, looking a bit crestfallen by the small speech. "Sorry sis... but, you know how I am when it comes to fighting."  
  
Undine simply shook her head a bit before smiling slowly. "It doesn't matter. We have perhaps an hour or so before those two make it here, and I want to be ready." She said in her clear voice. Fae and Evan turned and saluted the Undine before going off in different directions to check on the traps and such. Undine, however, slid back into the water of the lake, and sighed. The boy that the Tiger had described seemed somewhat familiar to her... but why? She simply couldn't remember why the boy seemed familiar, from the description given to her, but that was fine. She wasn't about to remember it anytime soon... Perhaps she should simply wait until she saw the boy herself. Yes, that would likely jog her memory.  
  
****  
  
With a jump, Genki sailed into the air ahead of Lepus. It had been a very tight race, with both of them going neck and neck for the past half-hour or so. It had taken Lepus a very long time to actually catch up with him, strangely. Ah well, she was young, and would likely get much, much faster before long. After this, Genki thought, he doubted that he could keep up with her instead. This had reminded him somewhat of the training one would give a monster in the games he had back at home. Still, as Genki slid to a stop before falling off the edge and into the lake, he looked back to see Lepus standing on the ground behind him, breathing hard. Genki was doing the same- the whole trek to get here had taken a lot out of him. Smiling, he dropped the hiking pack to the side and sat down tiredly. Lepus simply sat down, and then lay back on the grass there, still struggling to regain her breath. "Well... I win!" Genki exclaimed, and they both shared a quick laugh as they rested.  
  
****  
  
Little did the two know that they were being watched from behind the trees that surrounded the lake. On one side of the two was Fae with her small troop- two Jells, and on the other was Evan with his small troop- two Worms. In the lake was Undine. Fae raised her hand slowly, as did Evan, at the exact same time. Then, seeing how tired the two beings near the lake were, both Hares grinned slowly before lowering their hands toward their targets. Swiftly, without too much noise, all six land-bound monsters stalked toward the human and pixie sub-type monster, intent on capturing them with the rope that they all had in order to do the job. Undine, however, did nothing, as she was the back up in case the two targets somehow managed to avoid capture.  
  
Suddenly, the human stood up, and walked over to the edge of the lake to gaze out and over it carefully. With a grin, Fae pointed toward the Pixie. Evan saw this, and he nodded in agreement. She would go for the little pixie, and he would go after the human. "Charge!" Evan yelled out, and all six monsters ran forward, toward their designated targets. The Jells easily captured Lepus, who was still too tired to be able to move quickly. Genki, however, managed to avoid the rolling worms as they attempted to wrap their ropes around him. Fae and Evan stood back, watching this with some amusement. "2 gold says that the human won't last another minute before getting captured, Fae," Evan said to his sister, who turned and grinned at him. "You're on, Evan." She replied, and both watched on as the human boy managed to keep skillfully dodging and weaving past the worm's attacks.  
  
With all eyes on the human and the worms trying to capture him, Undine watched as well. The boy's movements seemed very similar to someone she had known for a short time, a long time ago. Suddenly, she remembered. Golem! This boy was one of the original Searchers! He was Golem's friend, Genki, she thought. This gave her hope. She hadn't seen Golem for a long time, and perhaps he knew where her soul mate was. She had been trying to obtain information on what had happened at Mt. Kyrus for a long time now, but information on the whereabouts of a single Golem, a certain one, was very hard to come by. With a whirlwind of water, she breached the surface of the water and looked at the worms. "Not very fast, are they?" she commented, and then drew an arm back. It turned from an arm into a whip of water, and she lashed it forward quickly, her arm extending like a Jell's arm, thanks to her power.  
  
Fae and Evan gasped in surprise as the whip-like arm slashed into the Worms instead of the boy. The worms were knocked away from him, and both ended up slamming into a tree, which knocked them unconscious. The Jells un-wrapped their whip-like arms from the Pixie, who stumbled to the ground, breathing hard. She had been nearly suffocating thanks to how tight the Jells arms were constricting her. They then attacked the Undine, who easily swept them aside with a blast of water. One of the Jells, a little tougher than the average Jell, got up after the attack, and changed its form. It turned into a Parabolic disk, with a stand behind it. In the center of the disk was a glowing light, where it charged up its next attack.  
  
****  
  
After making sure that the two Hares were too stunned to pull off a fast attack on him, Genki looked at the Jell that was still standing. The other had fallen into a puddle of Jell next to one of the worms. Smiling up at the Undine in thanks, Genki glowed a bright white light, and then turned to face the one remaining Jell, who had by now begun charging its Parabola Beam attack. "Energy cannon!" Genki exclaimed, as his arms outstretched in front of him. Unlike the Energy strike attack where he used the energy of other monsters, he could feel his own energy building up slowly, before bursting like a dam from his outstretched hands. A brilliant bluish-white light erupted from his hands in a ray-like attack, which he aimed at the Jell. The Jell, who was about to loose its own attack on Undine, was hit dead center. It crumpled into a puddle of its own spineless jell, the charge of its attack completely gone. Losing his energy charge, he turns toward the two Hares to look at them. However, they weren't there. Instead, he could see the two monsters in the distance, making their way out of the forest.  
  
Sighing a bit, Genki fell down and onto his butt as he rested. Smiling a little, he looked back up to Undine, who he gave a thumbs-up to. Lepus sighed as well, curling up into a ball to rest. Undine simply smiled back before diving back into the lake.   
  
****  
  
"Master Gara! Those two defeated us! Undine helped them for some reason!" Evan said, his breathing a little ragged as he attempted to give a report. Fae was a few feet behind him, breathing even harder. The monster known as Gara looked down at the Evil Hare and sighed a bit. "It is alright... I have another plan for an ambush. And this time, they will not escape it." He said, and looked back toward the only human in the camp. This one had unlocked it, and for that, Gara was grateful. The blind boy known as Gary rested in his bedroll, and Gara floated toward that same tent now. Evan watched as Gara floated away, a bit surprised by the designs that decorated edges of its cloak. A black mystery disk wove its way along the edges of the cloak, with many such disks in a rolling pattern upon it. It was so strange, and at the same time, very disturbing. "I want out..." Fae whispered to her brother. Evan, startled by his sister whispering in his ear, looked to her, and nodded in agreement. "Same here... I don't want to be in this army any more..."  
  



	6. The Calm before the Storm

Chapter 6  
The Calm before the Storm  
  
A storm had been brewing around the mountains as of late. Lightning, thunder, and torrential downpours of rain nearly blinded from sight the monster monument that stood at the base of Mt. Kyrus. A small shelter inside of a cave provided the latest viewers of the monument protection from the elements. In this small structure were a total of four beings. One was a human who wore a cape and carried a staff. His reddish-brown hair was soaked, matted to his head by the rain. Beside him stood a Night Flyer, who also happened to be wearing a cloak. She was also soaked, but at least her body was somewhat dry, thanks to the cloak that she wore. On the human's other side was a Black Saurian. Being somewhat near-sighted, it lay down in the small, cramped space of the shelter. On its back, however, was a Pink Eye. It watched the monument intently. Suddenly, a flash of lightning blinded those who were looking outside.  
  
As the human and the monsters beside him opened their eyes, they gazed in amazement as they saw the results of what had happened. Five of the six monuments had been shattered into pieces. The sixth, the one of the Golem known as Big Blue, stood as if it hadn't been affected by the lightning at all. The human nodded slowly, and then smiled a little. He knew that this was an omen. Someone, somewhere, must be feeling the effects of the torment that the world had been thrown into once more. This time, however, there were no Moo or Phoenix to battle for supremacy. No, their entire beings- mind, body, and soul had been burnt out and destroyed in that momentous clash that took place three years ago.   
  
"This time... this time, this evil must be dealt with by humans and monsters against other humans and monsters." The human said quietly. The fact that he had been here for about 3 and a half years, on this continent, had given him some time to study legends and prophecies. Other than that of the Phoenix battling against Moo, there were no other major events that were prophesized of. With that knowledge, it was simple to determine just what was to happen next. This war was not of the ultimate evil against the ultimate good... but, that of evil versus good. No god-like monsters, simply those that had been born and released from mystery disks were the ones that would battle this out. Humans from all walks of life, evil or good, neutral or selfish, would be joining in this battle as well if not in physical means, then in wars of wit or in battle of their spirits.   
  
With a soft sigh, he looked to Pink Eye and smiled a little to her. "Pink Eye, can you take us to a town near the sea?" he asked, knowing that Genki had too much of a head start on them for them to be able to reach him in time of being any help. Pink Eye shook its head and replied, "I'm sorry, but I can't teleport everyone that far. I can probably get us to Shinoku village, though." The human nodded a bit, and then looked to the Black Saurian, and then to Night Flyer. "That would be fine, Pan. As long as we can possibly catch up with the boy with clear eyes, we can probably be of help to him as he searches for Holly. If I am right, this entire event will revolve around him and his friends once more..."  
  
With a nod, Pink Eye closed its eyelid and began to concentrate. A pink aura surrounded her body, and then it extended to encompass the human and the other two monsters as well. As the aura fed off of a little of each being's energy, Pan's eye opened quickly as she yelled out. "Teleport!" the air around the four shimmered, and a second or two later, they disappeared into thin air.  
  
****  
  
Genki, Lepus, and Undine were sitting at the lake's edge. All three were having a snack of a fish as Genki told Undine about what happened after the Searchers had left her, and since he had returned to this world. Undine listened carefully, and had cried softly as she heard that Golem had turned out to be 1/5 of the Phoenix's mind. However, she continued to listen, her sadness turning to hope as he mentioned the Baku that had been turned into a Mystery Disk, then was revived and helped to save Genki. It was unfortunate that the Baku had been turned into a lost disk again, but the fact was that lost disks are not lost forever. Just for a while. And since Genki had not been around for the aftermath of the Phoenix vs. Moo battle, there was the small chance that Golem might have been returned to the world as a mystery disk, or even as his own self again.  
  
"That was an amazing story, Genki..." Undine said after he was done talking. Genki nodded a little bit and smiled at her, and then looked over to where Lepus was now sleeping. She shook every so often... not from cold, for it was still warm out. He didn't know why she was shaking, but shrugged it off as he looked back to Undine. "What do you plan to do now, Undine? Look for Golem?" he asked, smiling at the mention of their friend. Undine shook her head carefully and sighed. "Unfortunately, Genki, if he is anywhere, he is across the sea. And even if I found him, would I be able to forgive myself of what I had done? Would Golem forgive me for what I did? And what about the others?" she replied, closing her eyes as she tilted her head so that she was facing downwards.  
  
"I know Golem would forgive you, Undine, and I'm sure the others would too" Genki replied, grinning a bit. "Remember, you were turned evil by Moo. We won't hold that against you." Undine simply nodded a little before looking up to the young man. "True... But still, I caused you and your friends to fight against Golem, because of my dirty trick." Genki laughed that one off and smiled. "Don't worry about it, Undine. Besides, that's old news. Tell me why you were with those Hares that high-tailed it outta here after we took care of their friends."  
  
"Well, Genki, when I was unlocked again, I couldn't leave here. Those two hares were the first people to come to this lake, and we became good friends. At the time, it was nice to have friends. However, after one of their tournaments that they had entered, they both were forced into an army of monsters. I've heard the name of the person in charge- a human boy named Gary." She took a deep breath before continuing. "They persuaded me to join them in helping to capture you two. I didn't know, at the time, that you were one of the two that they needed to capture. But when I saw it was you, one of Golem's friends, I knew that I couldn't help them. That's why I turned on the Jells and Worms. I didn't want to hurt my friends..."  
  
Undine smiled a little, and saw Genki begin to speak before she shook her head to him. "No, Genki, they aren't baddies. I don't think there any baddies left from three years ago. Fae and Evan- the two hares- are simply young. I'm sure that, within time, they will leave that army on their own." Genki sighed in relief and shook his head slowly. "Well, that is good to hear, Undine. Still, I have to ask... have you heard anything about Holly, or Golem? I'm trying to find them." He asked. He was looking for Holly more than he was searching for Golem, simply because he didn't know if the monsters were in Mystery Disk form, actual monsters, or even gone...  
  
"No Genki, I haven't. I have, however, met someone that you met about 3 years ago. She was very nice to talk to, and I even managed to help her with some ancient texts that I had found at the bottom of the lake a while back. I think that her name was... Colt." Undine replied, looking up toward the sky slowly. "She used an Iron Bird to get around, and she had a painting of some sort of bird on it. I think it had been a pet of hers, but when she visited me, I never saw it."  
  
Genki chuckled a little bit as he remembered her. Remembering her brought back another memory- that of the Metal Jell and the Knight Mocchis. He shivered a little at the memory of the Knight Mocchis. How was he supposed to attack a monster, even a group of monsters that were so much like his good friend? It would be like attacking Mocchi at the same time! Looking to Undine, he saw a bit of concern in her eyes, and he shook his head, still smiling. "I remember her. We met her in the desert to the north three years ago. We barely escaped the trap that had been set there, with her help." Genki replied, chuckling a little. It really had been too bad that the Monster Factory had been destroyed. The technology there could have come in helpful in re-tracing the full human and monster history of the world. Of course, it was for the best, as no monster would want to know that it was created artificially. Very few know of the true history of the world, in even a vague sense. Sure, the stories about Moo and the Phoenix were on target, but what of the rest? Where had humans and monsters come from? These questions were extremely hard to answer, and no one knew the correct answer to them.  
  
"Yes... she told me about meeting your group once, a while back. She told me about the Pendant Empire, and about how the beginnings of the wars began, and then ended with the separation of Moo's and the Phoenix's minds from their bodies." Undine supplied, to which Genki sighed in relief. At least he wouldn't have to try and explain what had happened to her. "I still don't understand a few things, but that's normal. Everything's a mystery, right?" Undine said again, and she laughed softly. Genki, however, was feeling very tired. The day had gone by quickly, and the fight against the Worms and Jells earlier hadn't helped at all. Closing his eyes, Genki lay back on the ground and went to sleep, leaving Undine with her thoughts. Undine's eyes also closed, and some tears escaped them as she cried softly and quietly, mourning the possible loss of Golem.  
  
****  
  
"There. Now, move the troops into position just west of Shinoku Village. There, we will take over the village, and wait in ambush for that boy and his friend. With our strategy, we cannot fail this time." The form of Gara took place in the torch-lit tent. The human boy, Gary, sat beside him as the monster spoke. There were a total of 8 monsters in the same large tent. One was Allure, two more were the Twin Hares known as Evan and Fae, another was a Terror Dog called Thunder. A Durahan stood to the side, silent as a statue, and beside it was a Salamander. Two Omega-type Hengers stood close as well, and were flanked by the largest monster in attendance: a Tecno Dragon. These eight nodded their heads, and went to gather their troops.  
  
Special significance had been given to the Durahan and Hengers in this meeting, Fae noted, as she walked alongside her brother. Stopping in midstride, she motioned for Evan to come close before talking. "Evan... I don't think they will be capturing the boy and the Lepus. I mean, Gara's chosen a plan that should be able to eradicate them both with little effort!" Evan nodded in agreement to that. Though not quite as intelligent as his sister, he had figured that out as well. "Good point. Fast and tough will be able to defeat them both this time. But, what do you suggest we do about it, Fae?" he questioned his sister, who simply smiled widely before adopting the 'thinking stance' that many hares enjoyed using. "Give me time, Evan... I'll come up with something."  
  
****  
  
  
Unknown to those two, a large figure loomed in the shadows, and had heard all of their talking. It sighed gently as soon as the two hares walked out of sight, to gather their troops for the midnight march that was to come. They were right, he thought. 'I have no wish to kill anyone, human or monster. I do not want to attack them... They only fight out of necessity. I have fought because I was told to.' He thought to himself, and he closed his eyes for a moment. "If only there was a way to stop fighting, and to have peace for a change." He said aloud, but as quietly as his deep voice would allow. It was unusual that he would say anything, except when it was important. Hearing a call from the Allure that was in charge of the troop he was in, he opened his eyes and walked toward them- heavy footsteps resounded off the ground with each step he took.  
  
A familiar presence found itself perched on his shoulder, and the monster smiled. This young one was like a little sister- a very small sister, granted, but a sister nonetheless. Would he be able to leave her behind when the time came? Or... could he somehow bring her with him? It was a good idea, and it soon became one that he thought about as the troop began its march toward the village to the south. Once there, he would have to make his decision... and since he moved slower than the others in the group, perhaps he could talk the young monster on his shoulder into joining him in his quest for peace. Time would tell...  
  
****  
  
  
The four beings arrived in Shinoku just as the sun began to set. Pink Eye was visibly tired by the effort of teleporting three others, along with itself, such a long distance. The Black Saurian smiled a bit and stood up, being sure to allow the Pink Eye to settle on its back. A spread of wings was audible, and Night Flyer took to the air to take a look around the small town. "Now, Sara, don't be gone too long... we need to get some sleep, you know." The human said, even as he looked up to the darkened figure of the Pixie overhead. "Oh, alright. I'll be back soon. I just want to take a look around." She replied, and then flapped her wings a few times to gain altitude and speed. The human nodded back to her, and smiled as he walked down the street with the Black Saurian at his side. Concentrating on looking for an inn to stop at for the night, he ignored the sensation in his mind that something was overly wrong about this...  
  



	7. The Storm Hits

Chapter 7  
The Storm Hits  
  
The next morning, Genki and Lepus were on their way. With them was Undine, who had decided to go with them in order to find Golem. On a slightly worn trail, they followed the directions Undine gave them to head toward a village not too far away. What they didn't notice yet, because of the forest ahead, was the black smoke that rose from somewhere. The hike went by uneventfully, with the occasional stop to relieve themselves or to have something to eat and drink. By the middle of the day, however, the forest abruptly ended, and all three stepped past the last of the trees to find themselves on top of a hill outside the village. The village, however, was smoking. There were a few buildings standing, but most others had been burnt down. Genki, Lepus, and Undine gasped at the carnage that had swept through the village. A dozen or so lost disks littered the road that led to the town, and quite a few bodies remained there as well. Human bodies, that is.  
  
"Wha... what in the world? Why would anyone do this?" Genki asked, his voice subdued by the scene before them. Neither monster had an answer for him, as they simply stared at destruction below. "Nevermind. Come on, we gotta go see if anyone down there needs help!" Genki exclaimed, and he raced down the hill toward the village. Undine and Lepus nodded, and they took off after him. Lepus took to the air, even as Undine sped down quickly, hovering over the ground as she skimmed quickly after them.   
  
After a few moments, Genki stood at the 'entrance' to the village and he just looked around carefully. There didn't seem to be many around the place. Other than the crackling and the heat of fire, the place looked to be lifeless. No monsters, no humans, not even the sound of running water anywhere. A moment later, there was the sound of life, but it was from behind him. Lepus and Undine had finally caught up with him, and both monsters were looking around the place. Lepus cried a little, having never seen anything like this before. Genki, however, had been around during the time of Moo but three years ago, and he could remember villages and towns that looked worse than this one. "This... is horrible..." Genki said to himself, and he clenched his hands into fists before raising them to the sky. It was a futile gesture, he knew, but it was better than doing nothing.  
  
"Who would do such a thing... and why? Could Moo possibly be back?" Genki asked himself, and then he looked over his shoulder to the other two monsters. "Genki!" Undine exclaimed, as she helped to set Lepus down on the ground. She was shivering wildly, and it almost seemed as if she had been attacked, except there had been no attack against them. "Lepus! Are you all right? What's wrong?" he asked fearfully, stepping closer to put his hands on her shoulders. Lepus screamed at the sudden contact, and lightning flared from her hands, prompting Undine and Genki to step away quickly.  
  
****  
  
I felt myself step back, my body jarred by the impact from multiple attacks. The monster was too fast, even for me! I watched and gritted my teeth as the monster ahead of me end its attack, letting off some steam. At that time, someone to me left shouted a command at me, as well as encouragement. The voice was somehow familiar, I knew, but I acted instantly on that voice's command. Flapping my wings a little, I felt a familiar tremble enter my body as power was summoned from within and directed to my hands. Letting the power flow within me for about half a second, I then unleashed a devastating attack. "Mega Ray!" I exclaimed, and suddenly the energy poured from my outstretched hands and toward the Color Pandora ahead of me. Hitting full on, the monster just landed on its belly, and lay still. I smiled, and did a little dance of victory as an announcer declared- "Color Pandora cannot fight. Janne is the winner!"  
  
Janne? I'm not a Janne... I'm Lepus. How could the announcer have gotten two monsters mixed up like that? What is wrong with me? Why do I have these memories? Where are they from? Suddenly, I saw something else. A group of monsters... large, fast monsters. What were they? The 5 of them were in the sky... and heading directly toward a town. A human beside me kneeled, out of breath and trying to breath deeply. Some sort of hare was further along the path. I glanced behind us, as I tried to help the human to stand. There was a village burning in the distance. My eyes were watering as I struggled to keep going with the human in tow, but he pushed me away. "Run!" he cried out, at which point there was a rumbling from overhead. I looked up and at the mountainside. The snow above had begun shaking, and I could tell that something was bound to happen, and quickly. "Come with us!" I cried out to the human, my tears flowing freely now. He shook his head, and turned to face one of those monsters which had spotted us. At the least, it had spotted my human friend. It sped toward him, energy gathering in its gaping mouth. It was a dragon, and it was preparing for one of its attacks.  
  
I screamed, and then I panicked. Taking to the air, I flew a little ways away before looking back to him. I saw his body gain a bluish-white aura, and it just gained in intensity quickly. My eyes went wide. I could actually feel the energy he was drawing upon to use this power! The rumbling became much louder, and I looked over to the mountainside above the human. I could see trees and rocks mixed in with what seemed like a river of snow, as it rushed downwards. "Watch out!" I yelled, but it was too late. He could never get out of the way in time, and if he stopped what he was doing, the Dragon would have him as a snack, then it would have me and the Hare as the main course. The Dragon didn't seem too bothered by the human's gathering power. It did have the strength, size, and speed advantage. What could one lonely human possibly do?  
  
"Energy... Assault!" the human cried, and the aura around him grew. That aura, blasted outwards with its own energy, creating an attack in which a dozen energy blasts were fired toward the dragon. The Dragon, its eyes wide in surprise and confusion, attempted to fly out of the way. However, at least seven of the energy bolts hit it, knocking it out of the sky. I smiled softly, thinking that he might be safe after all. But then the rumbling was deafening. I looked in horror as my friend fell to his knees, and then to the ground as waves of snow, rocks, and trees fell from the mountainside and over the human, crushing him beneath it. I screamed again, and the rumbling became even louder as even more snow and debris sailed down the path of the previous avalanche. I heard another yell, and I flew away, along the path, to try and catch up with the other person I had seen. "Wait up!"  
  
****  
  
"Uh-oh... This isn't good..." Genki said aloud, as he looked up from his friend. She was still unconscious, and seemingly in the depths of a nightmare. What he saw surrounding him definitely had him surprised. There were a few Durahans, a group of green Hengers (which he recognized as Omegas), and a rather large group of various Tigers. Then, there was that Allure among them, with several somewhat familiar faces behind her. The Allure then spoke. "Child of the clear eyes! Come with us peacefully, and we will let your friends go. If not, we will destroy all of you!"  
  
Genki simply shook his head a little, and then looked back to Lepus and Undine. Undine was obviously ready for a battle, he saw, as he watched her fluid movements bring her up alongside him. Lepus, however, showed no signs of waking anytime soon. With a turn of his head back to the Allure, he sighed, and then closed his eyes. He couldn't protect all of them like this. There were too many there to try and deal with, and too few on his side. Not even Undine could survive this battle if they fought. Standing up slowly, he closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Opening his eyes once more, he glared directly at the Allure. "Did you do this to the village? Just to get at me?" he asked coldly, to which the Allure simply laughed and nodded.  
  
"Yes, these troops did this, boy. Not that there was anyone here who could have stopped us from doing so. Now, what is your answer?" the Allure responded, grinning in self-proclaimed victory. Oh, how sweet this would be... The destruction of the boy of hope itself! To drain that boy of all his energy, until his eyes turned from clear to cloudy! There was nothing more to do than to simply go after this human, take his energy, and destroy him! Break him down into a slave like humans would do with themselves or even monsters. To have the child with the clear eyes to wait on her every beck and call- that would be divine! Allure was basking her own success that she didn't notice what was happening until it was too late.  
  
****  
  
"No one here to stop you? Well now, I think you're misinformed, Allure. Prepare to be defeated!" a voice rang out, and from behind a nearby building came four figures. Led by a human in a cape, a Black Saurian, a Pink Eye, and a Night Flyer came to stand close to Genki. "Nice to see you again, Genki... Remember me?" the human said, drawing the staff from where he had it against his back. His other hand drew the hood on his head back, uncovering the red hair, the hazel eyes, and the face of a 17-year-old. The boy grinned slightly, and then looked toward the Allure, pointing an end of the staff at the pixie sub-breed. "Now... shall we dance?" he asked, and the new team against the ambush readied themselves. Genki began to gather power, slowly, so that it wouldn't be detected or otherwise known by any of the enemy.   
  
Suddenly, one of the Omegas and a purebred Tiger fell down, and were turned into Lost Disks. The sound of padded paws pushing against the ground bought the two monsters that emerged quite a large amount of air-time, and their jump brought them all the way to Genki's group. Undine grinned as she saw who they were. "Fae! Evan! Glad you could join us!" she exclaimed, to which the Fairy Hare and the Evil Hare simply grinned and nodded to her in greeting. "Glad to be of help... and sorry for the attack yesterday, kid." Evan responded, and both Hares turned to face the slightly depleted number before them.  
  
"Now, Allure, do you think you can win? How many friends or troops will you sacrifice to get to Genki?" the older boy asked, before spinning the staff in hand to draw behind his back carefully. The boy continued to grin, until finally the purple-skinned pixie sub-breed gathered enough courage to speak. "Attack! Destroy them all!" she screamed, and she took to the air. The Tigers, Hengers, and the Durahans ran along the ground at the team before them, each one charging their powers in various attacks to make it impossible to block or defeat all of them in a counterattack. The powerful and loud sound of a large Golem brought their attention to it as it raced along the ground as well. Another, smaller pixie sped in the air, going after the same target she had nearly hit a few days ago. The Mia continued on her way, intent on destroying the Lepus who had nearly blasted her, but was now either asleep or catatonic.  
  
Suddenly, Genki's flared out, and then he smiled as the energy he had been gathering visibly was unleashed against the Tigers that were heading his way. "Energy Cannon!" he exlcaimed, using the same attack he had unleashed against the Allure during their first fight. The two Tigers in the front, two Datonares, were vaporized by the shot, turned into lost disks immediately. All the others, however, managed to avoid the blast. However, the Twin Hares lashed out just afterwards, along with Undine between them, and those three battled against the Tigers that were battling back.  
  
The Black Saurian and the Pink Eye on its back began attacking as well. Facing off with the three remaining Omegas, the Black Saurian charged at them, even as the Pink Eye sent off a Telepathy attack. In order to dodge the attack, the Omegas moved to the side, which brought them into range for a jumping Bite attack on one of them done by the Pink Eye. With Pink Eye off of his back, the Black Saurian pressed forward toward one of the Omegas, who was still recovering from the dodge move it had made. The Black Saurian immediately opened up with a Million Claws attack, using its short arms and long claws to scratch and pound away at the armor of the artificial monster until it began to give way to the attack. Suddenly, the Black Saurian was knocked away by a Rocket Fist attack done by the third Omega. Pink Eye let go of the Omega she was biting, and hopped back a bit, to where the Zuum sub-breed was recovering.  
  
The other human was faring well with his diversionary tactic against the Allure and 'Captain Clay', as they stalked after him. Cabalos soon joined them, and the three grinned, sensing an easy end to this pathetic human. Though the boy wielded a staff, which he spun every so often, he waited patiently for the first move by any of the three. Turning in a slow circle, he kept an eye on all three, even as they circled him. A flash of lightning, and the Clay and Cabalos were knocked away and into the wall of one of the still standing buildings. The Night Flyer landed at the Human's side, and smiled a bit before taking off again, to provide additional help against the others. Allure smiled still, as she watched the human. She began to gather energy now, quickly. The human, having learned of his ability to sense the shifting of energies around him, smiled back, and then darted forward. A Pixie on the ground, gathering energy for her attacks, was vulnerable, after all. They could not fly when gathering too much energy- it interfered with the energy required to fly. This he knew, thanks to his training sessions with the Night Flyer. So, with a spin of the staff, he swung horizontally at the Allure, and grinned as it struck the now stunned monster. He slid to the side at the same time, getting out of the way of the energy burst that was left after Allure's attempt for an attack.  
  
Then, the human was flying through the air, and landed about 20 feet away. He lay there dazed, as well as hurt, as he attempted to see just what it had been that hit him. His eyes went wide, and he just rested there for a moment. The staff had flown from his grasp after the Battle Rocks had flicked him aside with a Brow Hit. He was fortunate to be alive after such a hit. He had noticed the look of sorrow on the Battle Rocks' face, and he couldn't help but to wonder if it was because it didn't like what it had done. Slowly, and very painfully, he got to his knees, and then to his feet, to see if he could even rejoin the battle.  
  
The Tigers were having fun with their game of Cat and Mouse. Firing Torpedo attacks whenever they could, they were exhausting the Hares and Undine as they continually dodged their attacks. The black Tiger, the Terror Hound, blasted at Undine with a Lightning attack as soon as she had dodged, and she screamed as she fell away from the Hares she had been following with. Fae and Evan, however, suddenly got very serious. Their bodies began to glow, and they both jumped in the air synchronously. The lower portion of their bodies burst into flames, and they stuck one foot out as they went after the Tigers in earnest. "Dragon Kick!" they both exclaimed, and then there were two more Lost Disks. Again they jumped, and again the flames grew in strength as both twisted, turned, and leapt down upon the Terror Hound. "Dragon Kick!" they yelled again, and the Terror Hound barely managed to dodge them both. The Tigers regrouped, now only 4 strong including their leader.  
  
Then, a beam of light passed over the young boy who had not been touched. Each monster on his side glowed, as did the other human behind him. His aura turned into a dark blue color, and it grew. Each monster felt itself drained of some energy. For that matter, two of the enemy monsters also glowed. The Battle Rocks and the Mia, for some reason, glowed and stopped moving. Finally, Genki unleashed the energy, causing a shock wave of psychic energy wash against all the baddies around. Allure, the Tigers, the Omegas, Captain Clay and Cabalos were all hit once again by the attack, and the ones that were standing were knocked back.  
  
Allure was the first to stand after the attack, and she looked around unsteadily. She had seen the reaction that had happened with Mia and Battle Rocks. With the possible loss of those two, how was she to win? Allure grinned, and raised a hand to point into the air. A beam of light shone forth, and went into the air for about 200ft. "Reinforcements!" she exclaimed, and was soon met by just that. A dozen Monol and half a dozen Suezos of different sorts appeared, and were flanked by a total of 4 pure-bred Hares. With a grin, she looked to the Searchers as they gasped for breath. They were tired, and she had fresh troops. And these troops would likely be able to flatten the opposition that the Searchers would be able to give. Genki sighed as he realized their new situation. "Just great..." he muttered. The older boy walked up beside Genki, and yelled. "Re-group!"  
  
All the monsters on their side, save Lepus, who was still lying as if she was dead, and the Mia and Battle Rocks, set themselves up along side either him or Genki. The Hares and Undine stood on Genki's left, while the Night Flyer, Pink Eye, and Black Saurian set themselves on the older boy's right side. Stepping forward, the older teenager smiled a little, even as he clutched his side. "Are you two on our side?" he asked the Mia and Battle Rocks. Mia had landed beside the Battle Rocks now, and she looked up to the being she considered to be her bigger, older brother. The Battle Rocks looked back and gave the young Pixie a gentle smile before looking back to Genki's team. "Yes." He said simply, and walked over to their line of defense. As both monsters walked over, Allure's screeching voice could easily be heard.  
  
"Battle Rocks! Mia! Get back here! You are under my command!" she yelled at the two monsters who were slowly walking away. The Mia she had unlocked herself, and the Battle Rocks had been under her command for years. Why do they leave her now? Right at her moment of victory, they might turn the tide. When she heard no answer to her command, nor action to confirm that they had even heard her, she became enraged. "Alright, fine then! Attack, everyone!" she exclaimed, and every monster under her command rushed at Genki's line. Allure herself took to the air and went after Battle Rocks.  
  
****  
  
"Everyone, get ready..." Genki said, and even as he said that, the older teenager's form began to glow. It was a red aura which washed over his body, one that was such a brilliant red that it looked like fire. The young man stood there, and then kneeled. The aura lashed outwards, covering the area around him and Genki's group. Suddenly, Strange Lights flashed out from the bodies of the Monols, and Telepathy attacks slashed out and toward the Searchers. Battle Rocks and Mia, who had just barely turned around to see the barrage of attacks coming at them, managed get inside the shield just in time. The Night Flyer stood directly behind the young man now, and she placed her hands on his shoulders. Her power flowed from her body and to her friend, causing the shield to burn brighter and into coherence. Both the Pixie sub-breed and the Human's power had invoked the Flame Shield, a much more powerful version of the Wall of Fire.  
  
Lightning attacks, Telepathy attacks, Strange Lights, and Gas Attacks, followed by a single Flame attack by Allure, all slammed into the Flame shield. The Gas attacks and Flame attacks were completely negated by the shield. The Strange Light attacks, products of the Monols, burst into the shield and nearly demolished it, but were deflected away. The Telepathy attacks, however, destroyed the shield and sent the Night Flyer and the human to the ground. Still conscious, but barely, the young man managed to gasp for air as he winced at the pain in mind and body. Sara, the Night Flyer, stood up easily. The Telepathy attacks had little affect on her, and she was ready to go. "Genki... go!" the young man said, and then curled up as the pain overwhelmed him.  
  
"You heard the man... Get 'em!" Genki exclaimed, and all of the monsters on his side other than Lepus went into action. Suddenly, out of nowhere, another blast of Strange Lights lashed out from the Monols, and hit Undine in dead center. Fae and Evan attempted to try and knock Undine out of the way, but were hit as well. A flash of light, and Undine was gone- a stalk and a lost disk commemorating her part in this battle. Fae and Evan were knocked away, and both slid to a halt beside the prone form of Lepus. With three monsters gone, and the other human out of commission for the moment, Genki gathered his own energy again. The Pink Eye and stood in place, using their longer ranged attacks to lash out at their opponents. Two of the Omegas were hit dead center by fireballs sent out by the Black Saurian, and the other suffered a powerful Eye Beam attack from Pink Eye. All three were Lost Disks almost instantly.  
  
Battle Rocks and Mia had split apart. Mia and Sara were in the sky, and both began to duel with Allure. Ray attacks and the occasional Flame attack lit the sky, but none of the three could manage to hit their intended target. Battle Rocks, on the other hand, was facing a large amount of Monols and a few tigers. His reaction? "Twister attack!" he yelled, and his body split apart into different fragments, and they began to circle around faster and faster as his body became a rocky tornado. Darting forward, he crushed the three lackey Tigers, as well as the Monols, within two strikes. At the end, when Battle Rocks put himself back together, there were only 4 survivors of that attack- three Monols out of the original twelve, and the Terror Dog. At that display, the Terror Dog realized the main part of the situation, and fled.  
  
With only a few Monols, Suezos, and herself all of a sudden, Allure knew she was outmatched. "You have won again, boy... but I will have the last laugh!" Allure screamed, and she flew straight through a gap that had formed in between Sara and Mia, all while readying her most powerful attack. "Big Bang!" she exclaimed, and she threw the attack directly toward the prone forms of Fae, Evan, and Lepus. A flash of light blinded everyone, and if that hadn't done it, then the cloud of dust that rose up after the sphere of energy hit the ground did. When the dust settled, and everyone could see, Allure and the Monols were gone. Then, all of Genki's remaining team slowly looked back to gaze upon the handiwork of that pixie sub-breed. What they all saw there made them gasp in astonishment.  
  



	8. After the Battle

Chapter 8  
After the Battle  
  
The young man had gotten up again, and was battling with the sphere of energy for supremacy. His lip was bleeding, and he was breathing hard as he strained to contain the energy that Allure had sent to destroy the three monsters just behind him. Evan was the first to slowly come awake, his eyes opening carefully. Then they went wide open as he realized what was happening before him. There was a human with a huge sphere of light right ahead of him, and somehow the human was deflecting it! Energy crackled in the air between the human and the sphere- it was an invisible barrier, some kind of shield like a Wall of Fire that the human was capable of using. Energy crackled like lightning, swaying from white to blue to yellow, and back again. Sweat poured from the human's brow as he continued the struggle. He had no idea that even one of the Hares had woken.  
  
"Fae! Come on, we gotta go!" Evan exclaimed, and he rushed over to the prone Pixie, picking the Lepus up easily. Fae woke up as Evan said that, and her eyes went wide as she too realized the situation. "Right!" she said, jumping out of the way at the same time that Evan did. With themselves out of the blast radius, they all looked back to the human who had saved them.  
  
"Come on, get outta there!" Genki cried, watching the older boy battle with the energy sphere. But even he saw that it was hopeless. The energy sphere was still powerful, even though it had begun to weaken. However, so had the teenager holding it back. Suddenly, a fireball shot past and into the Big Bang attack, knocking it away to cause it to explode in the air harmlessly. The teenager collapsed immediately, shivering a little as the strain of catching and deflecting the Big Bang took its toll. "Thanks, Black..." he managed to say, before fainting. Sara, the Night Flyer, was at his side quickly, checking on him and then sighed. "He's sleeping. Stopping all those attacks was too draining for him." She said, looking back to everyone else.  
  
Without a word, Battle Rocks stepped forward and easily picked the boy up and carried him over to the Black Saurian, who had been the one to fire the Fireball that saved the boy's life. Pan, the Pink Eye, got off the Zuum's back to make room for their friend. Gently, Battle Rocks set the human down on the Black Saurian's back, making sure that the boy was there safely before taking his huge hand away. Then, Battle Rocks turned to Mia, who was standing apart from the rest of the group. "Mia?" he asked in his gravelly, deep, yet gentle, voice.  
  
"I... I can't. It doesn't work on humans. I don't want to try!" she said, shaking her head a little while crossing her arms. Genki looked over to Lepus, who was laying down beside Pan, who had attempted to revive her by waving cool air onto her form, using her tongue as the wave. The two Hares were over at Undine's lost disk, crying for their fallen friend. Genki's eyes began to tear up as well as he saw them, and then he looked back to the Mia. "Mia, what are you talking about? If you can do something to help him, then please do so. We have to get going as soon as possible."  
  
"I... I'm sorry. But, my healing touch works on monsters... I don't know if it will on humans. I don't want to hurt him on accident. But..." she trailed off, looking over to the lost disk. "I may be able to do something to help the Undine." She says, causing the Hares to look up and over to the Mia. "Say what?" they exclaim at the same time, even as Genki and the other monsters looked at her in disbelief. "You... can you bring lost disks back? Like the phoenix?" Genki asked, to which Mia shook her head.  
  
"No. But, I can heal the disk, and it will turn into a Mystery Disk. When we find a shrine, we can unlock her there. I can only do it when the monster has been a lost disk for less than 10 minutes, though." She replied, walking over to the lost disk. Taking the stalk that had taken root in the flame-touched soil, she closes her eyes and begin to concentrate. Her form takes on a reddish aura, which then extends over her hands and along the entire stalk and disk of the Lost Disk formation. A dull red light flashed, and the stalk shrunk back into the disk. The disk itself glowed with a white light as the stalks disappeared, and left the disk floating in midair. The disk dimmed, and then glowed again as it became whole once again. Mia caught the disk in her hands and fell to her knees after the aura disappeared from around her body. She gasped for air softly, clutching the Disk to her carefully as she kneeled there for a moment.  
  
"Mia..." the Battle Rocks said softly, as he walked over to pick up the young pixie. He set her on his shoulder, where she swung her legs gently automatically. "I'm okay, Rocksey. I'll be fine... just need a little rest, that's all." She said, before tossing the mystery disk to Genki and curling up on the giant's shoulder. Genki caught the disk, and smiled. "Don't worry Undine... You will be reunited with Golem again. I promise that."  
  
****  
  
"So... you have failed again, and not only that, but lost four warriors from our forces. Allure, this is becoming a habit for you. Now, leave!" the voice of the Gali/Golem ordered. The purple-skinned Allure left immediately, as fast as her legs could take her. Lightning had been but one of the few to return. As this was his first failure, Gara could forgive the Terror Dog, but he had been disappointed. He was their finest warrior, and yet he had been beaten as well! "Lightning... You will be in charge of this next operation. We control the southern villages, and that is the direction the boy and his group are heading in. I want you to meet them in between... let's see, Quarrytown and the Port. Once there, we will ambush them, using forces from the east, south, and the north. With the ocean at their backs, those fools will be helpless!" Gara exclaimed, and mentally grinned. This was a much better plan than the last one, he thought. The last one required that they take over a town. In doing so, they tired most of their own forces, and only got about 8 hours to rest before that boy, Genki, and his friends had arrived.  
  
"And this time... Make sure that there are no more rebels in those towns. I am fully aware of the small group of Rebels who annoyed your group when you went to conquer Shinoku village. I have managed to unlock a large number of Clay troops in the last week, and they are now fully trained and ready to do my bidding. They, along with several Sorboros and many Datonares will be under your command. Take any other monster you wish, but leave Allure and her group here. They must retrain before fighting again."  
  
Lightning bowed his head before taking his leave, heading out to gather his troops. The Gali was not, however, aware of the spy who had listened to every word. The spy crept away quickly as it could, to warn the villages that were in danger. Gara, however, had not released the full number of the troops who were going to be deployed, so the spy could only tell the villagers what it knew- which wasn't much, unfortunately.  
  
Gara summoned his own servant, a monster he had befriended long ago. The monster appeared in a flash, and Gara turned to it. "Have the Salamanders and Naga Saurians get ready. They will be used to divert the boy's group toward the ambush area. You will go with them, my old friend." Gara ordered, and the being simply nodded its head before disappearing again, not saying a word. Gali turned, and once again considered the young human boy who slept on the bed close by. Why did he keep this human around? Sure, Gary had unlocked him, but other than that, he owed the young man nothing. It was a mystery, and was something that continued to bother him well into the night.  
  
  
****  
  
"Okay... Time to get going!" Genki exclaimed. They had remained at the village for the better part of the day to rest up. The older boy had woken up, as had Lepus, who was now playing around with Mia. Genki smiled as he looked over the group: A fellow human, three pixies, two hares, a Battle Rocks-type Golem, a Pink Eye Suezo, and a Black Saurian. "Hey Allen, you ready to go?" he called out, to the other human of the group, who was sitting on the Black Saurian's back along with Pan, the Pink Eye. "Yeah Genki! We'd better get going, it'll be dark soon, and we will want to get started before then." Allen called back, sliding off the Black Saurian's back. The Zuum didn't have quite the musculature that a Dino did, and it seemed to have been straining under the weight of both Allen and Pan.  
  
Genki grinned, and then looked over to the two hares, who were in turn watching the Pixies, along with the Battle Rocks, who appeared to be smiling for the first time since they had met. "Hey guys, time to go!" he yelled, and the Pixies looked at each other, grinned, and spread their wings, taking to the air to fly to Battle Rocks, where they both perched on the Golem's shoulders. Evan and Fae walked toward the young boy slowly, and then the ground resounded with a deep thud as Battle Rocks turned and walked along with them. Genki took one last look at the object in his hands, and he smiled softly before tucking it into the straps of his hiking pack. He kneeled down to tie his rollerblades on firmly once again, and he stood up a moment later with a grin. "Well, is everyone ready?" he asked, to which the other monsters said nothing but they did group together before heading away. Behind them, the villagers of Shinoku village had begun to try and salvage what was left of their homes. The Night Flyer flew ahead of them, giving the group the ability to be warned ahead of time of any would-be ambushers.  
  
Genki was having fun, travelling in a group again- it sure beat travelling on his own. With a grin, his legs pumped back and forth faster as he sped along the dirt road. Leaving his friends in the dust (almost literally), he laughed as he took control of the dirt road, weaving all over it as he skated along. Soon, he was past even Sara as she flew above them. Of course, everyone behind him was soon coughing at all the dust that the boy had kicked up. "I'd heard he was fast and full of energy," Allen began. "But I never expected him to be that fast or to have that much energy!"  
  
****  
  
"Sir, we are ready. The scout says that they will be getting here within the next few days, given the speed at which they are travelling. What shall we do in the meantime?" the voice of a Salamander asked. The monster it was speaking to was short, and said nothing. The Salamander nodded it's head slightly, as if able to tell what the commanding monster was saying without speaking. "Yes Sir. I will spread the order."  
  
The commanding monster just stood there, and looked to the north. This time, there would be no escape. There were well over 20 monsters here, all trained in battle and fighting skills. There was not way a rag-tag band of youngsters could stand up to them. Behind the large boulders of the area, a desert spread out behind them. Sun baked and drought-ridden, there were no human villages in the desert anymore. There were, however, the ruined remains of an old fortress visible in the distance. Few monsters roamed the desert sands, thanks to the lack of water of any kind. Even monsters required it to drink and survive, and the few who lived in the desert had learned where all the oasis areas were. This monster was from the desert, and knew them all.  
  
It thought of the old days, three years ago, when the monster named Moo had taken over most of the known world. But, one by one, his generals had been defeated. The one known as Pixie had escaped Moo's control along with an Ice Rock named Big Blue. Gali had been the next, and possibly the most successful against the searchers. The trap in his palace, he heard from the few remaining Gold Bar-type Monols who had survived, had proven to trap most of the Searchers. How Gali had been defeated was anyone's guess, as none of the Gold Bars knew how. Gray Wolf had been next, defeated by his own brother, according to the Cabalos that was part of Allure's group. Then there was Naga. The Searchers had invaded the Naga's castle itself. It was unknown, just how they had defeated him either.  
  
The monster shook its head, clearing his thoughts. For now, he needed to keep his mind on the mission at hand. Rounding up that pesky group without destroying them outright would be hard to do, especially since he hadn't been given the most intelligent of monsters to work with. However, the Salamanders seemed smart enough to realize what was needed, and they would tell the others in order they could understand. That was enough for him, he realized, as it settled on the ground to sleep.  
  
****  
  
A fire lit the night sky as Genki's group rested beside the road. Each monster was having their small rations... Save for Battle Rocks, who was eating as many rocks as he wanted. There were plenty around, and no one minded. Luckily for them all, Fae and Sara knew how to cook fairly well, and even Mia and Lepus had managed to find some edible mushrooms and roots for them to eat as well, so everyone managed to get at least a mostly full stomach by the end of the meal. What was not eaten was stored away, and then most of the monsters went to sleep. Allen and Night Flyer, however, stayed awake with a blanket wrapped around them, as they took the first night watch. Allen looked to Sara and smiled a little before actually speaking to her. "Sara... what happened earlier? How did I manage to deflect that Allure's Big Bang?" he asked to which Sara simply shrugged. "Allen... I don't even know how you got up in the first place. Your part of the Fire Shield was the one that took most of the damage, after all. I simply enabled it to absorb some of the attacks with my portion. I guess we're just lucky."  
  
The night went on, with Genki taking the next shift after a few hours, and then Evan after that, and then finally Battle Rocks (Evan had to give him a good punch or two to wake him up). Other than that, night was uneventful. All in all, everyone had a goodnight's sleep, except for Battle Rocks, as he wasn't used to getting up so early. Eventually, after the leftovers of last night were passed out, they began walking southward again.  



	9. Before the Ambush

Chapter 9  
Just before the Ambush  
  
The night passed quickly- and in the morning, Pan had been found asleep. Allen and Sara both, awake and having already eaten even as the others slowly woke and began to have their own breakfasts, found the Pink Eye Suezo sub-type. Allen just shook his head. "I guess we should've known that Pan couldn't stay awake for a watch." he said quietly, but not just to simply stay quiet enough to let the monster continue to sleep. No, his voice was low because it tended to crack when he first woke up, and this way it wouldn't. Sara simply nodded, and then stepped forward, her segmented wings glistening in the bright light that came with the sun's being out from behind clouds and above trees. With a wind-up kick, she fired off a Psychic Kick, the mental energy slashing from her leg and clawed foot toward the Pink Eye.  
  
A direct hit! The suezo got booted into the nearest tree as a result, and was quite pissed off as a result. "Hey! Ya didn't have to wake me up like that!" she exclaimed, hopping back over toward the two now laughing beings that had been around Pan when she was sleeping. Black, the saurian, looked as if he was going to laugh, or at least say something... but, for some reason, didn't. Laughter came from the rest of the camp though, as the others looked over and saw what was happening. Even Genki laughed- the entire scene reminded him somewhat of his old friends. Quite a lot like Golem's launching Suezo up and into the air to get a look around... and then the fall that would take place when Golem forgot to at least try and catch the falling eyeball.  
  
Chuckling a little, Genki pulled his backpack on, and grinned- the area was so familiar. But it didn't look quite so familiar. It was green, when it likely should have been desolate, almost like a desert or plateau. "Hmm... close to Pixie's old place." he says to himself, and then, pulling on his rollerblades, he takes off in the direction of Pixie's old palace, and the villagers that lived there. Everyone else was startled, especially the two hares and the two young Pixies- Mia and Lepus. Then, with thundering applause it seemed, the Battle Rocks ran after the young human, trailing dust and ripping up plants that weren't quite stably in the ground yet.  
  
And then, finally, everyone else ran after them as well, after dust had cleared. Lepus and Mia flew, Fae and Evan bounded along with grins on both their near identical faces. Pan hopped onto Black's back and then the Black Saurian took off toward along the road. This left only Allen and Sara, who took their sweet time walking along the road behind them, to make sure that no one was following them. Which there was.  
  
****  
  
The being that followed the group was the same one that had spied upon Gara's headquarters the previous day. It grinned to itself- it recognized fully the identity of the very energetic one. "Genki, huh?" it asked itself, and simply took to the air, stone-gray wings spreading to catch a breeze as she streaked off in the air after them. Finally, she thought. Finally, my waiting is over! I was right! He's still in this world!  
  
****  
  
A few hours later, the group made it to Quarrytown. A few humans stopped in their tracks as they took note of the large group of monsters and two humans who stood outside the massive stone wall. They even recognized Genki, the one who had saved their town from the evil of Moo itself by defeating the powerful member of the Big Bad 4- Master Pixie. More and more humans, who had been enslaved by the Pixie and her troops of various Plants and Clays, stopped in surprise as they saw the boy with clear eyes. Looks of shock and amazement registered on each and every one of the people- including the monsters, as they saw the looks on the human villager's faces. Finally, after about 10 minutes and a bit of tumbleweed floated by, Genki spoke.  
  
"Well? Do you expect me to say, 'take me to your leader?' Come on, I know ya recognize me!" he exclaims, chuckling a little as the villagers burst out in a bit of laughter. One of the villagers came up and grinned as he dwarfed the teenage Genki by at least a foot and a half. "Well now. Finally decided to come back this way, have you Genki? Come, rest in town! We have a few surprises in store for you, oh indeed we do!" the gruff voice almost commanded his compliance as he clasped a hand onto Genki's shoulder, driving the young man's shoulder down a few inches as a result. The monsters and Allen behind Genki all laughed some at this scene, and Allen walked forward as well, pulling up beside Genki. "A surprise? I hope it is not like the one that we were given back in Shinoku-town."  
  
"Shinoku-town? What happened there?" the man asked, as he escorted everyone into the town proper, leading them all toward a rather large building that reminded Genki of the IMA building from Monster Rancher 2 on his playstation. Once inside, the similarity simply increased- a lot of people, some monsters, and most definitely, there were some ranchers and explorers mingling with others. There was even a large sign in the middle, hanging from the rafters with the initials IMO, with words sprawling horizontally from the initials that had been set vertically- International Monster Organization. The man that helped them into the place had listened to what Allen told him about what happened in Shinoku-town. The man promised that the surprise was nothing like that, as they could see, but this was only half the surprise. Well, actually, not even half the surprise, the man explained, as he led the entire group through large doors, doors large enough that even Battle Rocks could pass through. It was a long walk- this IMO place was huge! Down stairs, around several corners, and back up stairs again they all walked, and then suddenly they found themselves in a large clearing. It was a stadium, Genki saw, but it was empty.  
  
"Stay here for a few moments and rest, please... I have to go and check on a few things real quickly." the man said, grinning as he left the stadium area and back along the way they had come. He soon was out of sight, and the large doors shut, effectively trapping all but the flyers on the arena floor. "This... had better be one heckuva surprise." Allen muttered, to which everyone else nodded. Why would they be trapped here? It did not make any sense- these people owed Genki, didn't they?  
  
Suddenly...  
  
****  
  
Author's Note: Okay all, I am back, but I'm just getting back into the MR spirit of things again- please bare with me as I get back into the 'groove', so to speak. I was deeply engrained in it when I was writing the first 8 chapters, and this time I'm returning. Sorry about the short chapter, but I've got to make a few extra notes and jot down a few more ideas for the next one. I've decided to take the series on a slightly quicker curve, so I may be sacrificing some details until I am fully in the 'groove' again. If this chapter seems to incoporate a different style of writing, this is the reason- I haven't been completely re-integrated in Monster Rancher for a while, so my writing style will slowly return to what you guys seem to enjoy so much.  
  
And one more thing- if my jumping from person to person, changing the point of view without telling you whose it is within the first sentence is bothering you, here's my response- it keeps you reading, doesn't it?! hehe. I figure, if I came up with a way to keep a reader reading, wanting to know who it is who's acting or talking, then that's a good thing, not a bad thing. I'll have Chapter 10 up (and it'll be a longer one, too) soon, but only after I get back into things. 


End file.
